EXOGENOUS SERIES- BROADLEAF WOODS. 85 



Mesquite. Prosopis juliflora (Swartz) de C. 



Nomenclature. (Sudworth.) 



Mesquite (Tex., N. M., Ariz., Honey Pod or Honey Locust 



Cal.). (Tex., N. M.). 



Algaroba (Tex., N. M., Ariz., Ironwood (Tex.). 

 Cal.). 



Locality. 



Texas, west to San Bernardino Mountains, California. Also 

 Colorado, Utah, and Nevada and northern Mexico. 



Features of Tree. 



Forty to fifty feet in height, one to two feet in diameter. Some- 

 times low shrub. Roots often very large. Pods with sweet 

 pulp. Gums resemble gum arabic. 



Color, Appearance, or Grain of Wood. 



Heartwood rich dark brown, often red. Sap wood clear 

 yellow. Close-grained, compact structure, distinct medullary 

 rays. The heart resembles walnut. 



Structural Qualities of Wood. 



Weak, difficult to work, heavy, hard, very durable, receives 

 polish. 



Representative Uses of Wood. 



Posts, fencing, ties, house-beams, fuel, charcoal. 



Weight of Seasoned Wood in Pounds per Cubic Foot. 



47- 

 Modulus of Elasticity. 



820,000. 

 Modulus of Rupture. 



6800. 



Remarks. 



A locally important tree. Trees sometimes stunted by fires 

 have numerous roots. Large roots used for fuel. The easily 

 agitated foliage cools the air to a surprising degree. The 

 " cool shade of the mesquite " is a characteristic phrase. Large 

 roots must not be confounded with trunks that are also often 

 covered with sand. Trees stunted by fires sometimes have very 

 large sub-surface developments. Such roots are often dug up 

 and used for fuel. The mesquite has been acclimated in Hawaii. 



Holsinger, " Forestry and Irrigation." Vol. VIII, No. u, p. 447. 



