Part 18

The small, bipinnately compound LEAVES with 1 to 3 pinnae, the leaflets of which are about ¼ inch long.

The fragrant yellow FLOWERS appear during the summer in dense, oblong, pubescent spikes, usually 2 to 3 in a cluster at the end of a branch.

The FRUIT matures by midsummer into a twisted or distorted pod, 2 to 4 inches long by about ¾ inch wide. The pod is smaller between each of the 6 to 8 seeds, which are nearly round, flattened, dark brown and shiny. The pods hang unopened on the branches until the winter or the following spring.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, durable, and clear brown or red in color.

GREGG LEADTREE Leucaena greggii S. Wats.

This small, beautiful tree grows wild in western Texas from the upper San Saba River to Devil’s River. It grows along the banks of streams and in moist ravines, and reaches a size of 15 to 20 feet in height and 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

The LEAVES are finely and doubly compound; with 10 to 14 feather-like pinnae, each containing from 30 to 60 small leaflets, arranged along opposite sides of the rachis. Each leaflet is elliptical, grayish-green or bluish-green, smooth, and about ⅓ inch long.

The white FLOWERS are clustered in dense round heads, about 1 inch in diameter, borne on a long peduncle. Each tiny flower has protruding hairs which give the head a fuzzy appearance.

The pods, or FRUIT, are 6 to 8 inches long and about ½ inch wide, flat, and with narrow wing-like edges.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, close-grained, clear brown streaked with red, with thin, clear sapwood.

Two other species of mimosa are found in Texas: L. pulverulenta (Schlect.) Benth., found above the mouth of the Rio Grande; and L. retusa Benth., in Jeff Davis, Kimble, Real, Uvalde, and Valverde Counties.

HONEY MESQUITE Prosopis juliflora var. glandulosa (Torr.) Cockerell

This well-known small tree is found in the central and western part of the state. The short trunk, usually only 6 to 8 inches in diameter, divides into many branches forming a loose, open top or crown.

The root system is very large, consisting of a thick taproot sometimes extending downward to a depth of 30 to 40 feet, with many radiating roots.

The LEAVES are pinnately compound, consisting of 12 to 20 leaflets attached along a central rachis, or “stem”, 8 to 10 inches long. The leaflets are often 2 inches long, smooth, dark green, and pointed. Near their bases are small spines.

The fragrant FLOWERS are tiny and in clusters (spikes) from 2 to 4 inches long. The FRUIT is a pod about 4 to 9 inches, narrowed between each of the 10 to 20 seeds enclosed in a thick sweet pulp, used by the natives as food and eagerly sought by wildlife and livestock.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, and dark reddish-brown in color. It is much used for fuel and, because it is durable in the ground, for fence posts.

Mesquite has long been designated as P. juliflora (Sw.) D.C., with the varieties glandulosa (Torr.) Cockerell and velutina (Woot.) Sarg. found in Texas.

WESTERN HONEY MESQUITE (P. juliflora var. torreyana L. Benson) occurs in southern and Trans-Pecos regions of Texas. This species is usually a shrub or sometimes a small tree.

EASTERN REDBUD Cercis canadensis L.

Eastern Redbud, sometimes called Judas-tree from its oriental relative of that name, is a small tree scattered through the woods of East Texas to the Brazos River. It attains a height of 25 to 50 feet and a diameter of 6 to 12 inches. Its stout branches usually form a wide flat head.

The BARK of the trunk is divided into long narrow plates, the bright red-brown surface separating into thin scales.

The LEAVES are alternate, heart-shaped, entire, 3 to 5 inches long and wide, glossy green, turning a bright clear yellow in autumn.

The conspicuous, bright purplish-red FLOWERS are in clusters along the twigs and small branches, and appear before or with the leaves in early spring.

The FRUIT is an oblong, flattened, many-seeded pod, 2 to 4 inches long, reddish during the summer and often hanging on the tree through the following summer.

The WOOD is heavy, hard, not strong, rich dark brown in color, and of little commercial importance. The redbud is cultivated as an ornamental tree and for that purpose might be more generally planted in this state.

Several varieties of Cercis canadensis have been described in Texas.

HONEYLOCUST Gleditsia triacanthos L.