Our mystery seeds from last week were indeed from a mesquite tree, in particular the Texas honey mesquite, Prosopis glandulosa.

honey-mesquite-2

Honey mesquites are popular landscape trees in the Southwest. They are known to produce a low, very wide canopy.

honey-mesquite-leaves

The compound leaves form a drooping, upside-down Y-shape. Can you see the Y?

Some of the mesquites can be hard to tell apart. For example, the screwbean mesquite also has Y-shaped leaves, but they tend to be shorter and more compact. The screwbean mesquite seed pods are also distinctly different from those of the honey mesquite.

honey-mesquite-branches

The honey mesquite has drooping leaves and branches that give a delicate appearance, almost like a weeping willow.

honey-mesquite-flower

The flowers are long and pale yellow. Honey bees often collect nectar from these flowers.

honey-mesquite-tree

Overall, the honey mesquite is a “sweet” tree if you live in the Southwest.