Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.

 
  • Family : MIMOSACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : BABOOL FAMILY (बबूल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Leguminosae
  • Subfamily : Mimosoideae
  • Basionym : Mimosa juliflora Sw.
  • Synonym(s) : Prosopis chilensis sensu
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.
  • Common name : Mesquite
  • Vernacular name :
    • Vaelikkaruvai, Semai parambai (Tamil)
    • Sarkar humma (Telugu)
    • Vilaithi kikkare, Vilaithi Kejra (Hindi)
    • Bellary jali (Kannada)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : In plains, sometimes gregarious in wastelands
  • Comments / notes : Introduced. Ever-increasing source of fuel for local people and for agricultural implements. Planted for land reclamation. Self-sown in wastelands. There is no similarity between species Prosopis chilensis and P. juliflora but taxonomists always confuse and treat them as synonyms. You can see the type specimens in Jstor http://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.si002474 and http://plants.jstor.org/stable/viewer/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.s-r-3632. Prosopis chilensis (Molina) Stuntz presence in India is doubtful.
  • Key identification features : A small armed tree; branches spreading with stipular spines. Pod pale yellow and curved
  • Flower, Fruit : October-May
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Ballari district
    • Maharashtra : Akola district
    • Tamil Nadu : All districts of Tamil Nadu
    • Gujarat : Kachchh district
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Rajasthan : Jaisalmer district, Barmer district, Bikaner district, Jodhpur district
  • Native : Tropical America
  • World Distribution : Tropics of the World
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • Kamble & Pradhan, 1988. Flora of Akola District, Maharashtra. Botanical Survey of India.
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Prosopis juliflora. Downloaded on 10 October 2024.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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