''Prosopis farcta'', the Syrian mesquite, is a species of the genus '' Prosopis'', growing in and around the Middle East.

Botanical details

''Prosopis farcta'' is a below-ground tree. Above ground, it looks like a shrub with a height of 20–100 cm (in rare cases up to 4m high). In addition, below ground the mesquite has a root system which is really a trunk with branches going as deep as 20 meters or more underground. So it is really a tree, and only the treetop protrudes above ground level. The "treetop" consists of a collection of shrubs which can extend over 1000 square meters or more, all of them connected to the same trunk. The shrubs grow noticeably in the warm summer months. The mesquite can survive difficult weather and soil conditions (including saline soil), and flourishes in Mediterranean heat, but dislikes shadows. The plant is common across the Middle East. It can be found as far north as southern Russia in the north, India in the east, and Algeria in the west. It is considered part of the Irano-Turanian Region. The leaves are green-grey. The plant is deciduous, and leaf fall is dependent on climate conditions at the end of summer and in autumn. The branches are thorny. Between May and August, the plant produces small yellowish flowers. The plant is rich in pollen, and is a significant pollination plant during Middle Eastern summers. The fruit is edible. During its ripening, the color changes from pink to brown. Its texture is spongy and its taste bland. It has an irregular vesicle-like shape, and is covered with a leathery peel. Its seeds are small, brown, and flat.

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nomads are known to eat the fruit roasted.

Human uses

The mesquite is considered very damaging to agriculture in deep and heavy soils. To eliminate it, one must not only remove the shrubs, but also completely remove all the roots-trunk from underground. If a small piece of root is left deep underground, a new mesquite can grow from it. In

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

, the fruit is used as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics ...

, and against

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...

, hemorrhoids, tooth pain,

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

kidney stones Kidney stone disease (known as nephrolithiasis, renal calculus disease, or urolithiasis) is a crystallopathy and occurs when there are too many minerals in the urine and not enough liquid or hydration. This imbalance causes tiny pieces of cr ...

, skin conditions, and more.

Toxicity

By and large the plant and its constituent parts are not toxic. There has been just one report where four children developed mild clinical toxicity after ingestion of seeds with pods.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2113274 farcta Trees of Western Asia Forages Drought-tolerant trees Taxa named by Joseph Banks Taxa named by Daniel Solander