Prosopis burkartii Munoz
Fabaceae
Mimosoideae
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.
mesquite
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.
The pods are distinctive. Tilted pleurogram of seed may be a distinguishing character.
Chile
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.