Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice about Screwbean Mesquite is the unusual spiral of the seed pods from which it takes its name.
This is a medium-sized, spindly, many branched, thorny shrub with many straight, stout spines along the stems.
Native Americans relied on the mesquite pod as a dietary staple from which they made tea, syrup and a ground meal called pinole.
A favorite of bees and other insects (like this Tarantula Hawk), mesquite flowers produce a fragrant honey. Its pale to very bright yellow 2-to-3 inch spike blooms are produced from May to June.
This is a cool plant to see, smell, taste and touch in person.