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Prosopis juliflora

Authority	(Sw.) DC.
Family	Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Fabales:Leguminosae
Synonyms	Algarobia juliflora (Swartz) Benth. ex Heynh., Mimosa juliflora Swartz., Mimosa salinarum Vahl., Netuma juliflora (Swartz) Raf., Prosopis cumanensis Kunth., Prosopis dominguensis DC., Prosopis vidaliana Naves.
Common names	algarroba, vilayati babul
Editor
Ecocrop code	8951

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A shub or small evergreen or deciduous tree reaching 5-15 m in height, while the roots may reach as deep as 35 m. The trunk may reach 45 cm in diameter, it is short, twisted with flexible branches and long, strong thorns. The crown is thin, open flat-topped or rounded. USES Wood us as fuel, for fenceposts, door and window frames, and other light carpentry. Gum exudes from the trunk. Pods can be fed to livestock or used as human food. The flowers are a source of honey. The tree is planted for shade. GROWING PERIOD Perennial. First harvest of pods after 5 years, reaching maximum production after 10 years. The tree can be grown in a 10-15 year rotation for fuelwood. Withstands droughts of 6-8 months. COMMON NAMES Mesquite, Cashaw, Algarrobo, Algarroba, Carbon, Catzimec, Espino ruco, Acacia de Catarina, Armo, Espino montreno, Armo, Herrero, Trupillo, Cuji, Yaque, Sudjoe, Vilayati kikar, Kabuli kikar, Vilayati babul. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: P. glandulosa, Mimosa juliflora. Mesquite is indigenous to Central America and northern South America. The latitudinal range of natural occurrence is 35°N-4°S. It can be found at elevations between sea level and 2900 m. The tree needs a dry climate, it is drought hardy and regenerates rapidly. Photosynthesis pathway C3. Annual wood production potential is 3-9 m3/ha. Optimum yield of firewood is 60 t/ha if grown on a 10 years rotation, and 100 t/ha if grown on a 15 years rotation. The tree fixes nitrogen and is mentioned as a possible agroforestry species. The tree is an aggressive invader and in subhumid areas it may cause immense problems.
Sources
Grassland Index Little E 1983 pp 237-239 [USE, TEMP, RAIN, TEXT, SAL, DRA] Webb D 1984 pp 235 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, PH, DRA, SAL, LIG, USE] Sims D (pers. comm.) Habit M 1986 pp 29-55 [TEXT, FER, RAIN, DRA, DEP, TEMP, FER, USE] Aronson J 1989 pp 64 [SAL] Edwards S 1984 pp 230 Troup R 1921 pp 399 Skerman P 1988 pp 580 Puri S 1992 pp 46-2 National RC 1980 pp 152 National RC 1979 pp 154 INSPIRE species 152 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, PH, DRA, SAL, LIG, USE] Maydell H 1986 pp 357-358 [DRA, TEMP, RAIN, TEXT, SAL, FER, USE] Hensleight T 1988 pp 384 [TEMP, RAIN, TEXT, PH, SAL, USE]