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 mesquite pods are high in protein and contain good amounts of fiber, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, along with the essential amino acid lysine. Its sweet flavor has hints of caramel. Roasted, it can even make a passable coffee substitute.
Our seed, from Thermal, California, came to us from the good folks at Sheffield's Seeds in Locke, NY.
GROWING TIPS: Pour near-boiling water over the seeds then soak for 24 hours. If this doesn’t cause seeds to imbibe, sulfuric acid treatment may be used. Seeds need no stratification. Sow ¾ inch deep. Of course prefers dry areas, so do not overwater, but you might be surprised at how adaptable the plant is.
NOTE: The photo of brownish pods is from Katja Schulz and is shared here under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. The green pods photo is from user pomipilid and is shared here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. The flower photo is from Curtis Clark and is used here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.
