3454.000 Prosopis L.

Shrubs or trees, spinous, prickly, or unarmed. Leaves bipinnate, rarely absent or very reduced; rhachis glandular at insertion of pinnae, with glands often also between leaflet-pairs; pinnae each with one to many pairs of opposite or rarely alternate leaflets. Inflorescences of spikes, spiciform racemes or heads. Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx gamosepalous, with 5 teeth. Petals 5, free or connate below. Stamens 10, fertile; anthers with an apical gland which may sometimes be sessile and inconspicuous. Pods straight, curved or spirally coiled, woody or coriaceous, subcylindric or ± compressed, internally septate between the seeds. Seeds hard, unwinged, with endosperm.

Worldwide: 37 species one species in Africa, two in the Middle East and the remainder in America.

Zimbabwe: 1 cultivated taxon.