Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Prosopis velutina Wooton

Synonyms

Neltuma velutina (Wooton) Britton & Rose
Prosopis chilensis (Molina) Stuntz var. velutina (Wooton) Standl.
Prosopis flexuosa DC. (misapplied)
Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. (misapplied)
Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.var. velutina (Wooton) Sarg.

Family

Fabaceae: sub-family Mimosoideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)
Mimosaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

black mesquite, mesquite, Quilpie mesquite, velvet mesquite

Origin

Native to south-western USA (i.e. New Mexico and Arizona) and northern Mexico.

Naturalised Distribution

Widely naturalised in eastern and central Australia. It is most common and widespread in southern and western Queensland and the inland regions of New South Wales. Smaller populations are also known from the southern parts of the Northern Territory (i.e. near Alice Springs) and northern Victoria (i.e. near Swan Hill).

Also naturalised overseas in southern Africa and beyond its native range in the USA (i.e. in California).

Notes

Velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina) is regarded as an environmental weed in Queensland, and as a potential environmental weed or "sleper weed" in many other parts of Australia. The mesquites (Prosopis spp.), as a group, are also one of the 20 Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) in Australia.