Screwbean Mesquite

Strombocarpa pubescens Origin: Thermal, California Improvement status: Wild Seeds per packet: ~15 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial Screwbean mesquite, also known as tornillo mesquite, is an edible and medicinal southwest desert native leguminous shrub or small tree. It has gorgeous blossoms, unique corkscrew-shaped edible pods, and nutrient rich seeds. Growing to over 20 feet tall, it thrives in damp or saline soil, including much of the Rio Grande valley and along the Colorado River. Long utilized by human beings, it is also an important resource for many animal species. Like other mesquites, the nutritious seedpods are the primary food item. Pima people have a tradition of cooking the pods in dirt-covered pits over a few days (they also use the plant to make hairdye and for ink used on pottery). Many Indigenous peoples historically utilized screwbean mesquite as a staple food source, making cakes, porridges, and syrup from the pods. Ground or mashed mes