Scientific Family
Fabaceae
Synonyms
Strombocarpa odorata
Other common names
screwpod mesquite
tornillo
Plant type
Trees
Riparian
Yes
Plant Description
Origin
Native
A small tree with single or multiple short, crooked trunks. Frequently branches close to the ground and has an irregular crown.
Leaves of 5 to 9 pairs of leaflets; stems have many thorns; conspicuous flowers in spring followed by spiral-shaped bean pod. Distinguished from other mesquites by its spirally coiled fruit pods greater than 1-1/2 inches long.
Height
10 to 25 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Found in rocky and/or sandy soils of riparian areas. It can survive in desert conditions but thrives where water is more abundant.
Plant Community
Riparian
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
4000
Leaves
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
Top and bottom of leaves
Spines
Yes
Leaf Drop
Deciduous
Central stalk splits into 2 stalks and each of the those stalks have 5 to 9 pairs of leaflets.
Flowers
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Other
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
August
Yellow flowers, 1/8 inch long, in elongated and cylindrical clusters.
Flower clusters
Elongated
Fruit
Fruit color
Yellowish-green
Fruit type
Pod
1 to 2 inch long tightly coiled and spiraled pod. Color turns light brown at maturity. Seeds germinate after being scarified in the digestive tract of animals.