TreeRM

Mesquite

Neltuma juliflora 路 Fabaceae 路 also Prosopis, Mathenge, Seemai karuvelam, Vilayati babul, Algarroba

A thorny, deep-rooted shrub or tree normally about 10 m (to 20 m) that fixes nitrogen, tolerates extreme drought and salinity and produces sweet pods that livestock spread. Planted in the 20th century to fight desertification and supply fuel and charcoal, it has become one of the worst woody invaders of drylands: it has covered over a million hectares of Ethiopia's Afar region, is a declared noxious weed in Kenya (2008), is the subject of repeated Madras High Court eradication orders in Tamil Nadu, and the genus is a Weed of National Significance in Australia. It is often confused with the less aggressive P. pallida, and its charcoal and pod value fuel a management debate.

Broadleaf evergreenFast growingFull sunLow water
Mesquite
Wikimedia Commons, file Prosopis_juliflora,_known_as_the_Velvet_Mesquite_(10078437503).jpg (see file page for author and licence)

Where it stands

Native

Invasive

  • 馃嚜馃嚬 Ethiopia 路 Invasive across the Afar region and other lowlands; introduced per WCVP; 'devil tree' to pastoralistssource
  • 馃嚠馃嚦 India 路 Introduced and naturalised across arid India (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka) per WCVP; management varies by statesource
  • 馃嚠馃嚦 TN, India 路 Madras High Court order of 18 March 2026 directs statewide mechanical removal under the Tamil Nadu Policy on Invasive Plants and Ecological Restoration; private landowners given 30 dayssource
  • 馃嚢馃嚜 Kenya 路 Declared a noxious weed in 2008 under the Suppression of Noxious Weeds Act (CAP 325); invading Baringo, Tana River and other arid countiessource
  • 馃嚫馃嚛 Sudan 路 Introduced per WCVP; widely invasivesource
  • 馃嚬馃嚳 Tanzania 路 Invasive in parts of Tanzania; not declaredsource
  • 馃嚳馃嚘 South Africa 路 NEMBA 2020 lists Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana, P. velutina and hybrids (Category 3 in the Northern Cape, pods for fodder exempt in several provinces); P. juliflora itself is not namedsource

Prohibited

  • 馃嚘馃嚭 NT, Australia 路 Weed of National Significance; Barkly Tablelandssource
  • 馃嚘馃嚭 QLD, Australia 路 Prosopis spp. are a Weed of National Significance, declared in ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC and WAsource
  • 馃嚘馃嚭 WA, Australia 路 Weed of National Significance; worst infestations in the Pilbarasource

Care

Do not plant. Control requires removing the root crown or cutting plus immediate herbicide on the stump, because cut stems coppice vigorously; thickets are then kept down by grazing management, fire or utilisation for charcoal. Thorns puncture tyres and cause septic wounds; pods in excess poison livestock. Biocontrol with seed-feeding beetles and a leaf-tying moth helps in Australia and South Africa.

Benefits

Fixes nitrogenDrought tolerantSalt tolerantHolds soilWindbreak

Good for

WindbreakAgroforestry

Watch out for

Invasive elsewhereThornsLarge rootsToxic parts