THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
FEBRUARY,  1890. 
ALGAROBIA  GLANDULOSA. 
By  Jamks  Clavin,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
Of  the  many  various  trees  and  shrubs,  which  go  to  make 
up  our  Southwestern  sylva,  there  is  none  perhaps  which 
deserves  more,  and  few  which  have  received  less,  notice  at 
the  botanist's  hands  than  the  mezquite  of  Texas  and  adjacent 
country.  From  personal  observation  and  from  information 
procured  from  various  sources,  I  am  enabled  to  refer  to  uses 
of  the  plant,  which  are  not  generally  known.  For  much  of 
the  information  I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  V.  Havard,  of  the 
United  States  Army,  who  has  made  an  extensive  study  of 
the  mezquite  and  its  properties,  uses,  etc.,  both  from  a 
medicinal  and  economical  standpoint. 
The  mezquite  has  been  described  as  Prosopis  julinora  by 
De  Candolle ;  as  Algarobia  glandulosa  in  Torrey  &  Gray's 
Flora,  and  as  Prosopis  glandulosa  by  Torrey.  The  mezquite 
finds  its  home  throughout  Mexico  and  grows  to  some  extent 
in  South  America.  It  flourishes  to  an  enormous  extent  in 
the  Southwestern  territory  of  the  United  States,  especially 
in  Texas,  where  it  covers  countless  acres  of  land  and  is  by 
far  the  most  common  tree  or  shrub  indigenous  thereto.  It 
is  found  in  the  Indian  Territory  and  extends  into  California, 
following  the  Mexican  border.  It  is  very  prolific,  spreading 
rapidly  and  multiplying  numerously  wherever  it  takes  root. 
It  grows  to  a  height  of  from  3  to  40  feet.  Its  branches  are 
thorny  and  with  deciduous  foliage.    The  bipinnate  leaves 
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