Prosopis juliflora

Prosopis juliflora is an evergreen tree reaching 10 m tall with a 12 m spread, growing at a fast rate and hardy to UK zone 8. Establishes in light sandy and medium loamy soils preferring good drainage and thriving in poor soil. Tolerates mildly acidic through basic soil pH, very alkaline, and saline conditions. Requires full sun and cannot grow in shade. Prefers dry to moist soil. Bee-pollinated flowers support self-fertility and nitrogen fixation with wildlife appeal.

Description

A small tree up to 15- 20 m tall with long cracks in the bark. It is often a smaller tree about 3-5 m high. It is spiny and deciduous. Some kinds have thorns 5 cm long. The young branches are smooth and green. The bark is thick and rough grey-green. The leaves are twice divided. The leaflets are oblong and narrow. They are 1.5 cm long. There is no leaflet at the end. The flowers are golden yellow and crowded into dense spikes. These are 5-10 cm long and have a smell. The fruit is a yellow pod 10-20 cm long. The pod is brittle. It has brown seeds embedded in a whitish pulp. There are 10-20 seeds inside. It is a legume.

Edible Uses

Seedpods can be eaten raw or cooked — roasted, chewed, or ground into powder. A rich flour can be made from pulverized pods with seeds removed, which can be mixed with water to make a refreshing drink consumed immediately, made into a pudding, or fermented into a kind of beer. Mature seeds can be soaked overnight and baked like kidney beans. The cotyledons and embryos, when pulverized, yield a flour rich in protein and sugar that is considered suitable for people with diabetes. Flowers are sweet-flavoured and can be eaten raw, roasted, or made into a tea. A sweet gum exuded from the trunk is used in making sweets. The wood can be used to smoke and flavour foods.

Traditional Uses

The sweetish white pulp of the pod is eaten raw. They are also ground into meal and mixed with water to make a drink. This is drunk immediately but is also allowed to form a pudding or be fermented into beer. The ripe beans can be soaked overnight and baked with molasses and salt pork. The flowers can be eaten raw, roasted or made into tea. The trunks yield a sweet gum used in candy making.

Medicinal Uses

A syrup prepared from ground pods is given to children with weight deficiency or delayed motor development, and is believed to increase lactation. The pod syrup is also used to prepare various medicinal preparations, particularly expectorants. A tea made from the plant is considered beneficial for digestive disturbances and skin lesions.

Known Hazards

The seed pods contain neurotoxic alkaloids which are toxic when eaten excessively by livestock.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows well in arid regions. It can grow on poor, sandy or rocky soil and can grow on salty soils. It grows in the Sahel. It has been introduced and is grown in some coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. It has also become self sown. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 150-750 mm. It grows between 600-2,400 m above sea level. It is wind resistant. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Antilles, Arabia, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central America*, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lesser Antilles, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mediterranean, Mexico*, Middle East, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Somalia, South America*, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies*, Yemen,

Cultivation

It grows from seeds. Seeds are sown directly where they are to grow. Seeds are hard to extract from the pod but this can be done by soaking them in water. Seed are easy to store. They can be stored in the pod. It can also be grown by cuttings and suckers.

Propagation

Seeds can be stored for several years at ambient temperatures. The very hard seed coat can prevent germination for several years without pre-treatment. On a small scale, carefully nick the seed coat without damaging the embryo. On a larger scale, soak seeds in nearly boiling water for a few minutes, then continue soaking in warm water for 24 hours. Sow in a sunny nursery bed or individual pots. Treated seed germinates rapidly, with 80–90% sprouting within 4–6 days. Aerial seeding is effective for covering remote and inaccessible areas. Inoculation with Rhizobium and mycorrhizal fungi is beneficial. Propagation is also possible by root cuttings and grafting.

Other Uses

Plants are used for erosion control, dune stabilization, shelterbelts, windbreaks, and living fences in arid and semi-arid climates. The species is widely planted for land reclamation due to its aggressive colonizing habit and tolerance of poor, degraded, saline, and alkaline soils. Aerial seeding of a mix including this species, Nicotiana glauca, and several Eucalyptus species has been used to revegetate abandoned copper mines. The heartwood contains significant polyphenolic compounds from which a unique flavonol compound can be isolated for use in phenol-formaldehyde polymeric resins. A reddish-amber gum similar to gum arabic exudes from stems and older branches, forming an adhesive mucilage. Tannin or dyestuff can be extracted from wood and bark at around 10% yield, or as a by-product of other wood processing. There is significant potential for the wood as a fibre source for paper, paperboard, and hardboard production. The heartwood is dark brown to red or yellowish; the sapwood is light yellow. The wood is close-grained, moderately hard, heavy, tough, strong, and durable in the soil, though susceptible to drywood termites. Seasoned wood is used for rail ties, fence posts, furniture, crafts, and corrals. The crooked stems and branches make excellent firewood and charcoal, widely used in the USA as barbecue fuel. Flowers attract bees and other pollinators. Pods are eaten by birds and mammals, and the tree provides shelter and nesting habitat. Bark, fallen pods, and leaf litter provide shelter and overwintering sites for invertebrates.

Production

The plant is fast growing. It can be lopped, pruned or shaped. Plants set seed after 3-4 years.

Notes

Also as Mimosaceae.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Algaroba, Algarrobo blando, Angrezi babur, Asuaja, Cuihi, Eterai, Gadasein, Ghawiaf, Giulhilaashi, Guaranga, Jangalee, Jungli kikar, Kikar, Kuhi, Kuigi, Kwida, Kwihi, Meskeet, Mesquite, Nisache, Phari kikar, Pile, Pohon nyamuk madu, Screw bean, Sindhi kikar, Trupillo, Velayti kikar, Velvet mesquite, Weyane, Woyane zaf, Woyane

References (57)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 491
• Asfaw, Z. and Tadesse, M., 2001, Prospects for Sustainable Use and Development of Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 47-62
• Bahru, T., et al, 2013, Wild Edible Plants: Sustainable Use and Management by Indigenous Communities in and the Buffer Area of Awah National Park, Ethiopia. Ethiop. J. Sci., 36(2): 93-108
• Bekele-Tesemma A., Birnie, A., & Tengnas, B., 1993, Useful Trees and Shrubs for Ethiopia. Regional Soil Conservation Unit. Technical Handbook No 5. p 370
• Bernholt, H. et al, 2009, Plant species richness and diversity in urban and peri-urban gardens of Niamey, Niger. Agroforestry Systems 77:159-179

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