The enormous popularity of Chilean Mesquites sometimes serves to overshadow some mesquites species "native" to Southwestern deserts. For many years Native, Honey and Screwbean Mesquites were not commonly grown in nurseries and were only available as large, expensive desert salvage specimens. These native species are now being nursery grown in sizes ranging from 24" to 54" box with shapes and forms typical of other cultivated desert tree species.

Honey Mesquites are unique among desert landscape species with its willow-like appearance, its delicate leaf canopy and grayish sculptural trunks. It can be found growing in deserts throughout the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico mostly along stream banks or drainage areas where summer water is available. In landscape settings the trees grow at a moderate rate to a mature height of 25' to 35' and 30' to 40' wide. Weeping leaf and branching structure gives the tree an appearance similar to California pepper. The leaf canopy is spreading and lacy providing ample filtered shade that supports the growth and flowering of understory plantings. When used as accent trees or as individual specimens, trees are typically pruned up to highlight the graceful twisted, multiple trunk structure. Honey mesquites are completely deciduous in winter with new leaves emerging in late February and early March. Showy early spring foliage is glossy, bright chartreuse green. Elongate, greenish yellow, fragrant flowers 2" to 3" long begin appearing in March and may be seen as late as September. Flowers produce narrow, bright red to tan seed pods in summer. Branches have thorns varying in length from 1/8" to 3/4". The trees grow best in full sun and well draining soils. They are hardy to 0 degrees F making ideal landscape trees in areas (like southern Nevada) where extreme winter temperatures can damage other mesquite species. Honey mesquites can be naturalized and survive on seasonal rainfall but the trees do best and appear more lush with supplemental summer water.

Perhaps the first thing people notice about the Screwbean Mesquite is the unusual spiral of the seed pods from which it takes its name. The tree is sometime referred to as a large shrub, but in landscape settings it regularly grows to 25' tall and as wide. Unpruned it has a shrub like growth habit with fairly dense branching. Pale to very bright yellow, 2" to 3", spike blooms are produced from May to June. Foliage is pale blue-green and made up of as many as 18 tiny leaflets. The tree grows at a moderate rate and is deciduous in winter. Screwbean are found in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico at elevations up to 4000 feet. With its beautiful spring flower displays, it is an excellent accent tree or it can be used as a specimen in more elaborate landscape designs. It is also use in the landscape as a background tree with flowering shrubs. Unlike many desert natives, Screwbean cannot be naturalized to survive on rainfall along. Supplemental summer irrigations are essential in most Southwestern desert locations. In the desert the tree is found primarily along water courses and in "bottomlands" that experience periodic flooding. The tree will tolerate lawn plantings. It is hardy to 0 degrees F (-18 C). Tornillo, which in Spanish means screw, clamp or vise, is a common name sometimes associated with Screwbean Mesquite.

Native Mesquite is one of the most common trees found in the desert Southwest. These trees are distributed throughout Central and Southern Arizona, West Coast of Mexico and the West Indies. In the wild it grows along stream beds, in washes, on slopes and mesas where deep soils are found and on plains. Some Native mesquites are distinguished from the other species discussed by the short dense hairs that cover nearly the entire plant including the seed pods. This fuzzy appearance has led some to call this species Velvet mesquite. In the landscape, trees grow best in well draining soils. Maturing trees can be naturalized to survive on rainfall alone but look more lush with deep, monthly summer irrigations. In the landscape trees grow at a moderate rate and can reach a height of 40' and spread 20 to 40' with trunk diameters of up to 3 feet in diameter. Mature specimens have dark, shaggy bark. Feathery, soft, gray-green foliage provides filtered shade in summer. Native mesquites tolerate lawn planting but shade from mature trees may inhibit growth of summer lawns. In nature the trees typically grow as multiple trunked specimens but cultivated trees can be pruned into standard or multi-trunk forms. Cream colored, cylindrical flowers appear by mid-spring and tan seed pods are shed in fall. In informal desert designs, Native mesquites can be used as a theme tree, as individual specimen at entry monuments, on tee boxes or as the center piece of desert scenes. This beautiful Native brings a feeling of the Sonoran Desert into any landscape design.

These three species can all be used as parts of landscape barriers or as transitions to undisturbed desert. In these applications cultivated native species are used to more effectively integrate landscape plantings with the surrounding desert.

You may have noticed that throughout this issue we have avoided using botanical names with these mesquite species. All species of mesquites, native and introduced, easily interbreed producing a confusing array of variations and forms. The true taxonomy of these trees falls well beyond our expertise to resolve. We recommend that architects, designers and specifiers understand the characteristics of the trees they want and identify them on plans by both common and botanical names.