Eastern Honey Mesquite
Neltuma glandulosa

NOTE: Mesquites native to the Americas have gone through a bit name change and that may freak some people out. This plant was formerly known as Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa.

Family: Fabaceae

OTHER NAMES
Spanish: mezquite, algarroba

CHARACTERISTICS
This is a medium-sized, deciduous tree reaching 20-30’ tall, rarely reaches about 50’, and about as wide, or sometimes even wider than tall. Compared to the western honey mesquite (Neltuma odorata) this tree has much larger leaflets. From the distance it can look like a California pepper tree (Schinus molle). In the spring, summer and after rains it is covered with fragrant white flowers, and the long bean pods.

Young plants are funky—their branching is unpredictable. People who attempt to pick a leading trunk will be frustrated. Best to let this tree grow and find its on leading trunk.

Photo by Oscar Contreras, iNaturalist
Neltuma glandulosa on SEINET (as Prosopis glandulosa)

LANDSCAPE USE
Medium to large sized landscape tree.

GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED

SUN full sun
WATER moderate to low
SOIL not picky but provide good drainage
HARDINESS hardy to about 0°F or colder, stem damage below 20°F
BASIN middle zone
CONTAINER does ok in container but will not attain full size and is funky when young
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little

ECOLOGY
Larval host for the Leda Ministreak (Ministrymon leda), Marine Blue (Leptotes marina), Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus ssp. gyas), Reakirt's Blue (Echinargus isola), and Palmer's Metalmark (Apodemia palmerii). Habitat for nesting birds. Seeds feed granivorous birds and mammals. Flowers important for many species of native bees and other insects. Birds and other animals depend on this species for the insects that they attract.

ETHNOBOTANY
Like other mesquites, this species is used as a food plant, for construction, and is used in a multitude of other ways.

NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Distributed from southwestern Kansas, western Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and most of Texas west to a small part of New Mexico and south to Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila, Mexico

TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant was formerly known as Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa.
This species is in the Fabaceae, the legume family. There are 44 accepted species in the genus Neltuma in the Americas.
Prosopis was a Greek name for burdock (seemingly a misnomer), while glandulosa refers to the glands found near the leaflets. The new genus Neltuma is possibly derived from the common name Mulla Thumma in the Dravidian language Teluga in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where Neltuma juliflora is introduced.