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Pods and foliage
| Screwbean, Screwbean Mesquite, Tornillo, Screwpod Mesquite, Twisted Bean, Fremont Screwbean
Prosopis pubescens
Leguminosae
Screwbean is found along river valleys and irrigation ditches in west Texas. It grows best where there is moisture, or where moisture might accumulate from a flash flood, although it can survive in the desert. It is a multi-trunked large shrub or tree, small and dainty, barely reaching 30 feet in height. It differs from mesquite (P. glandulosa) in that its spines and leaves are smaller, it has 5 to 8 pairs of leaflets instead of 10 or more, its twigs are gray and not red, and its bean is tightly coiled into a spiral (hence its common name) as opposed to mesquite's straight pod.
Plant Habit or Use: large shrub
small tree
Exposure: sun
Flower Color: yellowish
Blooming Period: spring
summer
Fruit Characteristics: tightly coiled, twisted bean
Height: to 30 ft.
Width: to 35 ft.
Plant Character: deciduous
Heat Tolerance: very high
Water Requirements: low
Soil Requirements: adaptable
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7
Additional Comments:
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