Prosopis denudans

Benth.

Fabaceae Edible: Seed pods ?

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Description

A spiny shrub from temperate Argentina growing about 2 m tall with curved seed pods. It occurs in mountainous regions between 500-1,000 m elevation.

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Edible Uses

The seed pods may be edible, though this is uncertain.

Medicinal Uses

Neltuma species have been found to contain 5-hydroxytryptamine, apigenin, isorhamnetin-3-diglucoside, l-arabinose, quercetin, tannin, and tryptamine. The tannins present in Neltuma species are of the pyrogallotannin and pyrocatecollic types. The tannins are mainly found in the bark and wood, while their concentration in the pods is low. Some species, such as N. velutina, produce a gum (mesquite gum).

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. In Argentina it grows between 500-1,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Andes, Argentina, Chile, South America*,

Also Known As

Algarrobo

References (2)

Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 703
Molares, S. & Ladio, A., 2012, The Usefulness of Edible and Medicinal Fabaceae in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia: Environmental Availability and Other Sources of Supply. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Volume 2012, Article ID 901918, 12 pages, Hindawi Publishing Corporation.