Prosopis

Prosopis
Prosopis caldenia, a species of central Argentina.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Mimosoideae
Tribe:	Mimoseae
Genus:	Prosopis L.[1]
Type species
Prosopis spicigera L.[2]
Species
See text.

Prosopis is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Western Asia, and South Asia. They often thrive in arid soil and are resistant to drought, on occasion developing extremely deep root systems. Their wood is usually hard, dense and durable. Their fruits are pods and may contain large amounts of sugar. The generic name means "burdock" in late Latin and originated in the Greek language.^[3]

Selected species [edit]

• Mesquites (southern United States, Mexico)
  • Prosopis glandulosa Torr. – Honey Mesquite; Haas (Cmiique Iitom)
  • Prosopis laevigata (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) M.C.Johnst. – Smooth Mesquite
  • Prosopis pubescens Benth. – Screwbean Mesquite
  • Prosopis reptans Benth. – Tornillo
  • Prosopis velutina Wooton – Velvet Mesquite
• "Algarrobos", bayahondas etc. (Neotropics, particularly the Gran Chaco)
  • Prosopis abbreviata Benth. – Algarrobillo Espinoso
  • Prosopis affinis Spreng. – Ñandubay, Algarrobillo, Espinillo, Ibopé-Morotí
  • Prosopis alba Griseb. – Caldén
  • Prosopis chilensis (Molina) Stuntz – Algarrobo Chileno, Algarrobo Blanco
  • Prosopis fiebrigii Harms
  • Prosopis flexuosa DC. – Alpataco, Algarrobo Negro
  • Prosopis hassleri Harms
  • Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. – Bayahonda Blanca, Bayarone Français; Kabuli Kikar, Vilayati Babul, Vilayati Khejra or Vilayati Kikar (Hindi); Trupillo or Turpío (Wayuunaiki)
  • Prosopis kuntzei Harms ex Kuntze – Itín, Barba de tigre, Carandá, Palo Mataco
  • Prosopis nigra (Griseb.) Hieron. – Algarrobo Negro, Algarrobo Amarillo, Algarrobo Dulce, Algarrobo Morado
  • Prosopis pallida (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Kunth – American Carob, Huarango, Kiawe (Hawaiian)
  • Prosopis rojasiana Burkart
  • Prosopis ruscifolia Griseb. – Vinal
  • Prosopis strombulifera (Lam.) Benth. – Creeping Mesquite, Argentine Screwbean
  • Prosopis tamarugo Phil. – Tamarugo
• African species
  • Prosopis africana (Guill. & Perr.) Taub. – African Mesquite, Gueni (Malinke, traditional djembe wood)
• Asian species (India, mainly Rajasthan, to the Arabian Peninsula)
  • Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce – Jand; Ghaf (Arabic); Sami or Sumri (Gujarati); Khejri, Sangri (Rajasthani); Kandi (Sindhi)
  • Prosopis farcta (Sol. ex Russell) J.F.Macbr. – Syrian Mesquite^[4][5]

Formerly placed here [edit]

• Acacia atramentaria Benth. (as P. astringens Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.)
• Elephantorrhiza elephantina (Burch.) Skeels (as P. elephantina (Burch.) E.Mey. or P. elephantorrhiza Spreng.)
• Prosopidastrum globosum (Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.) Burkart (as P. globosa Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.)

Phytochemistry [edit]

Prosopis species have been found to contain 5-hydroxytryptamine, apigenin, isorhamnetin-3-diglucoside, l-arabinose, quercetin, tannin and tryptamine.^[6]

The tannins present in Prosopis species are of the pyrogallotannins and pyrocatecollic types.^[13] The tannins are mainly found in the bark and wood while their concentration in the pods is low.^[14]

Some species, like P. africana or P. velutina, produce a gum (mesquite gum).^[15]

See also [edit]

• Invasive species in Australia

References [edit]

Notes [edit]

1. ^ "Prosopis L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1999-03-05. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
2. ^ "Prosopis L.". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
3. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. 4 M-Q. CRC Press. p. 2171. ISBN 978-0-8493-2677-6. 
4. ^ "Prosopis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 13 August 2010. 
5. ^ "Subordinate Taxa of Prosopis L.". TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2010-01-03. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Medicinal Plants of the Southwest
7. ^ Graziano MN, Ferraro GE, Coussio JD (December 1971). "Alkaloids of Argentine medicinal plants. II. Isolation of tyramine, beta-phenethylamine and tryptamine from Prosopis alba". Lloydia 34 (4): 453–4. PMID 5173440. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} Tapia A, Egly Feresin G, Bustos D, Astudillo L, Theoduloz C, Schmeda-Hirschmann G (July 2000). "Biologically active alkaloids and a free radical scavenger from Prosopis species". J Ethnopharmacol 71 (1-2): 241–6. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(00)00171-9. PMID 10904169. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Luis Astudillo, Guillermo Schmeda-Hirschmann, Juan P Herrera, Manuel Cortés (April 2000). "Proximate composition and biological activity of Chilean Prosopis species". J Sci Food Agric 80 (5): 567–573. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010(200004)80:5<567::AID-JSFA563>3.0.CO;2-Y. 
10. ^ "Prosopis glandulosa". www.hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2008-05-01. 
11. ^ Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
12. ^ Constantino Manuel Torres; David B. Repke (15 March 2006). Anadenanthera: visionary plant of ancient South America. Psychology Press. pp. 134–. ISBN 978-0-7890-2642-2. 
13. ^ P. juliflora as a source of food and medicine for rural inhabitants in Rio Grande do Norte. ROCHA, R. G. A. In: The Current State of Knowledge on Prosopis juliflora. (Eds.) M. A. Habit and J. C. Saavedra. FAO,, 1990 Rome, Italy, pages 397-403
14. ^ NM Pasiecznik (2001). "The Prosopis juliflora—Prosopis pallida Complex: A Monograph" (PDF). 
15. ^ Evaluation of the physico-chemical properties of a new polysaccharide gum from Prosopis africana. Adikwu MU, Ezeabasili SI and Esimone CO, Bollettino Chimico Farmaceutico, 2001, volume 140, issue 1, pages 40-45, PubMed

General references [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Prosopis

Wikispecies has information related to: Prosopis

• Paciecznik, N. M., Harris P. J. C., & S. J. Smith. 2003. Identifying Tropical Prosopis Species: A Field Guide. HDRA, Coventry, UK. ISBN 0-905343-34-4.
• Handbook on taxonomy of Prosopis in Mexico, Peru and Chile (FAO Document Repository)
• Plant Walk I: Old Main (website of the Vascular Plant Herbarium of the University of Arizona in Tucson)
• Plant Walk 1 UofA
• Plant Walk 2 UofA

External links [edit]

• U.S. Federal Noxious Weed List (USDA)
• The Prosopis Website (Has a nice range map)