Prosopis burkartii

Species

Prosopis burkartii Munoz

Family

Fabaceae

Subfamily

Mimosoideae

NOTE

NOTE: Only one seed of Prosopis burkartii was available for examination. Therefore, the description and images in this fact sheet may not be representative of this species’ seeds.

Common names

mesquite

Description

Pods submoniliform in 1–3 tight thick coils; ca. 15–21 mm long, 1–18 mm wide, with individual coils ca. 8 mm thick. Mostly multiple fruits in a spike form a globose mass. Yellowish-brown, puberulous. Seeds oriented longitudinally.

Seeds broadly obovate or broadly elliptic in outline, with an umbo, ca. 4.2–5.2 mm long, 2.6–4 mm wide, 1.5–1.8 mm thick; elliptic, rhombic or irregular in cross section. Pleurogram tilted, open-ended. Lens a mound.

Identification considerations

The pods are distinctive. Tilted pleurogram of seed may be a distinguishing character.

Distribution

Chile

General information

Prosopis burkartii is a large, creeping shrub 0.5–1.5 m tall. The pods intermingle, forming a globose mass. This rare and isolated species may have originated from the hybridization of Prosopis tamarugo X P. strombulifera.