Prosopis pallida
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| Prosopis pallida | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Prosopis pallida (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Kunth |
Prosopis pallida (syn. Prosopis limensis) is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe, huarango, and American carob, as well as "bayahonda" (a generic term for Prosopis) and "algarrobo blanco" (usually used for Prosopis alba). It is a thorny legume which is considered an invasive noxious weed in many places.
The kiawe is a spreading bush or moderately-sized tree bearing spines, spikes of greenish-yellow flowers, and long pods filled with small brown seeds. It is a successful invasive plant due to its ability to reproduce in two ways: production of large numbers of easily-dispersed seeds, and suckering to create thick monotypic stands that shade out all competing plants nearby. It survives well in dry environments due to an extremely long taproot. It is so efficient at withdrawing moisture from soil that it can kill nearby plants by depriving them of water. It can be found in areas where other plants do not grow, such as sandy, dry, degraded slopes, salty soils, disturbed areas, and rocky cliffs.
The tree has been introduced and planted deliberately because it grows quickly and makes a good shade tree, and the wood is good for fuel. At times it has been used to replace forest and prevent erosion, and once it was established it generally dominated the habitat. Kiawe pods are used as livestock fodder, and the flowers are attractive to bees.
Kiawe is native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, particularly drier areas near the coast. It was introduced to Puerto Rico and Hawaii as well as New South Wales and Queensland in Australia and it is now considered to be naturalised in those places. The first kiawe was planted in Hawaii in 1828; today it is a ubiquitous shade tree and invasive weed on the Hawaiian Islands, providing firewood for heating and grilling.
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