Prosopis

Taxonomy

Prosopis C. Linnaeus Syst. Nat. ed. 12. 2: 282, 293. 15–31 Oct 1767; 10, 68. 15–31 Oct 1767. 15–31 Oct 1767.

Subfamily: Mimosoideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 2.3.16.
Tribe: Mimoseae.
Group: Prosopis.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 24 studied; 44 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 1.5–29 cm long; 0.4–2.6 cm wide; 0.3–2.5 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide, or more than 9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla; with deciduous calyx; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight to S-curved, or 1-coiled to 1.5-coiled; not plicate; not twisted (or loosely to tightly spirally coiled into cylinder); asymmetrical, or symmetrical; oblong to linear, or moniliform, or C-shaped, or falcate, or irregular; with both sutures parallelly curved, or both sutures unequally curved; not inflated; compressed to terete; without beak; rounded at apex to short tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base to rounded at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous to ligneous (with age), or fleshy (some when fresh); seed chambers externally visible, or invisible; margin constricted to not constricted; margin constricted along both margins, or constricted only on 1 margin (ventral margin constricted, dorsal margin not constricted); margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; stipitate; with the stipe up to 20 mm long; indehiscent. Replum invisible. Epicarp glossy to dull; monochrome; various shades of brown (and in combination with other colors); with surface texture uniform; glabrous to pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; velutinous; with simple hairs; eglandular; without spines; not smooth; with elevated features; obscurely or prominently veined; longitudinally veined relative to fruit length; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin to thick; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without reniform canals; spongy to fibrous throughout; coriaceous to ligneous. Endocarp present; visible; dull to glossy; opaque; monochrome; black to brown (various shades and in combination with other colors); without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate, or subseptate to septate; osseous, or pulpy; not exfoliating; separating from mesocarp; separating into 1-seeded winged segments. Seed(s) 6–35; length transverse to fruit length to oblique to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus 5–7 mm long; of 1 length only; filiform; S-curved to contorted. Aril absent.

Seed: 6–10 mm long; 3.5–6 mm wide; 2.5–4 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular; symmetrical; ovate to elliptic, or irregular; compressed to terete (especially when umbo present); with surface smooth; without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without hilar sinus; with umbo on seed faces, or without umbo on seed faces; without medial ridge on each face. Cuticle not exfoliating; not inflated; not wrinkled. Testa present (rarely with a thick, exfoliating cuticle); without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; glossy; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; grayish green to black, or brown (to reddish brown with areola same or different color from rest of surface); glabrous; smooth; osseous. Pleurogram present; 75 %. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines present. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; visible, or fully concealed; concealed by funicular remnant; without faboid split; punctiform; apical at apex of radicle tip to subapical to radicle tip; flush; not within corona, halo, or rim. Lens discernible, or not discernible; up to 0.5 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; triangular; punctiform to elliptic, or circular; not in groove of raphe; mounded to recessed (pit); similar color as testa, or dissimilar color from testa; lighter than testa, or darker than testa; white to gray (to darker than testa); not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to embryo, or testa. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces flat; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; partially concealing radicle; with lobes; with lobes not touching; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis straight to deflexed (slightly); parallel to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; straight with embryonic axis; centered between cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary; glabrous.

Distribution

Western North America to Argentina (Patagonia), southwest Asia, Africa, and planted or established elsewhere.

New World and Old World; Canada, United States, West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and South America (western North America); Argentina, Peru, Brazil, and the Guianas; Mediterranean, Russia, Southwest Asia, Africa, and India.

Worldwide crop.

Generic Notes

Prosopsis was monographed by Burkart (1976), who was able to accomodate the diverse fruit characters in one genus. Prosopis fruits have been described as 'anachronistic' because they supposedly evolved for dispersal by Pleistocene megafauna that are now extinct (Barlow 2000).