Leaves: Green; pinnately compound, generally glabrous
Flower Color: Yellow, light yellow; inflorescence in catkin-like spikes, fruit a legume, pods narrowed slightly between seeds, generally glabrous.
Flowering Season: March to August.
Prosopis velutina is "Salvage Assessed", "Harvest Restricted". (A permit is needed from the Department of Agriculture to transport this species off of private land.)
Comments: The dry, tan-colored bean pods are edible and can be ground into sweet, rich, nutritious mesquite flour. The beans and the fragrant wood can be burned to flavor smoked and barbecued meat. The flowers attract numerous honeybees and are a source for delicious mesquite honey.
