Neltuma chilensis
{{Short description|Species of legume}}
{{Speciesbox
|status=LC
|status_system=IUCN3.1
|image = Prosopis_chilensis.JPG
|image_caption =
|genus = Neltuma
|species = chilensis
|authority = (Molina) C.E.Hughes & G.P.Lewis
|synonyms=
}}
Neltuma chilensis (formerly Prosopis chilensis) is a species of tree in the genus Prosopis, belonging to the family Fabaceae.
{{cite taxon|POWO|id=urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77303729-1|title=Neltuma chilensis (Molina) C.E.Hughes & G.P.Lewis|access-date=13 February 2025}}{{cite WFO|id=wfo-1000040085|title=Neltuma chilensis (Molina) C.E.Hughes & G.P.Lewis|access-date=13 February 2025}} It is found in parts of central Chile, southern Peru, Bolivia, and Andean (northwestern) Argentina.{{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Ken E.|title=The Magnificent Mesquite|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=usBfOqt0R8EC&pg=PT131 |year=2010 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=978-0-292-78592-2 |page=131}} Its common names include Chilean mesquite (algarrobo chileno, in Spanish), cupesí (in eastern Bolivia),{{Cite book|title=Diccionario enciclopédico cruceño, 3rd ed.|last=Coimbra Sanz|first=Germán|publisher=Gobierno Autónomo Municipal de Santa Cruz|year=2014|location=Santa Cruz de la Sierra|pages=121}} and Chilean algarrobo.{{cite book|author=Mary Irish|title=Trees and Shrubs for the Southwest: Woody Plants for Arid Gardens|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AyWkIsLDca8C&pg=PA261|year=2008|publisher=Timber Press|isbn=978-0-88192-905-8|pages=260–261}}{{cite book|author=G. Rehm|title=Multilingual Dictionary of Agronomic Plants|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IZ7-CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153|year= 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-011-0972-7|pages=153}} It is used for providing shade, for animal feed, and firewood.
Description
Neltuma chilensis is a medium-sized deciduous tree, reaching a height of about {{convert|14|m|0|abbr=on}}. The trunk is stout and gnarled, and can reach a metre (yard) in diameter. The bark is pale brown and thick, exhibiting cracks and vertical fissures. The leaves are pinnate, up to {{convert|20|cm|0|abbr=on}} long, with twelve to twenty leaflets arranged in pairs. Each leaflet is oval with a smooth margin and a yellowish green upper surface. A pair of strong, curved thorns is borne at the location of each whorl of leaves. The flowers are borne in dense axillary spikes, with each individual flower having five sepals, five petals, and ten stamens. The fruits are twisted or coiled pods, up to {{convert|15|cm|0|abbr=on}} long, containing several coffee-coloured seeds inside. N. chilensis flowers between October and December, and the fruits ripen between February and April.{{cite web |url=http://museo.florachilena.cl/Niv_tax/Angiospermas/Ordenes/Fabales/Fabaceae/Prosopis/Prosopis%20chilensis/Prosopis%20chilensis.htm |title=Prosopis chilensis |language=es |work=Enciclopedia de la Flora Chilena |access-date=2015-05-27}}
Distribution and habitat
Neltuma chilensis is found in Peru, Bolivia, eastern Argentina, and central Chile, growing on light soils in arid regions. It is highly drought-resistant and likely fixes nitrogen. It has been introduced into Hawaii, where it is now commonly found growing in thickets behind beaches.{{cite book|contribution=Prosopis chilensis|title=Firewood Crops: Shrub and Tree Species for Energy Production |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XmQrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA148 |year=1980 |publisher=National Academies of Sciences|location=Washington, D.C.|page=148 |id=NAP:14438}}
Uses
Neltuma chilensis is used as a shade tree and for firewood. The leaves are used as fodder for livestock and the pods and seeds are of high nutritive value and are ground to make an animal feed. Honey bees, and several other species of bee, pollinate the flowers.{{cite journal|author1=Genise, J. |author2=Palacios, R. A. |author3=Hoc, P. S. |author4=Carrizo, R. |author5=Moffat, L. |author6=Mom, M. P. |author7=Agullo, M. A. |author8=Picca, P. |author9=Torregrosa, S. |title=Observaciones sobre la biología floral de Prosopis (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae). II. Fases florales y visitantes en el distrito chaqueño serrano. [Observations on the floral biology of Prosopis (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae). II. Floral phases and visitors in the Chaqueño Serrano district] |journal= Darwiniana|volume= 30|number=1–4|year=1990|pages=71–85 |jstor=23222518|language=es, en}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q132290504|from2=Q11700799}}