Neltuma juliflora

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Neltuma juliflora
Prosopis juliflora.jpg
Young tree
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Neltuma
Species:
N. juliflora
Binomial name
Neltuma juliflora
(Sw.) Raf.
Synonyms

Many, see text

Invasive N. juliflora in Tamil Nadu, India A scene of Prosopis juliflora.JPG
Invasive N. juliflora in Tamil Nadu, India
A young specimen in Ab Pakhsh khhwr pkhstny dr abpkhsh.jpg
A young specimen in Ab Pakhsh

Neltuma juliflora (Spanish : bayahonda blanca, Cuji in Venezuela, Trupillo in Colombia, Aippia in the Wayuunaiki language and long-thorn kiawe [1] in Hawaii), formerly Prosopis juliflora, is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae, a kind of mesquite. [2] It is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. It has become established as an invasive weed in Africa, Asia, Australia and elsewhere. [3] It is a contributing factor to continuing transmission of malaria, especially during dry periods when sugar sources from native plants are largely unavailable to mosquitoes. [4]

Contents

Description

Growing to a height of up to 12 metres (39 feet), N. juliflora has a trunk diameter of up to 1.2 m (4 ft). [5] Its leaves are deciduous, geminate-pinnate, light green, with 12 to 20 leaflets. Flowers appear shortly after leaf development. The flowers are in 5–10 centimetres (2–4 inches) long green-yellow cylindrical spikes, which occur in clusters of 2 to 5 at the ends of branches. Pods are 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) long and contain between 10 and 30 seeds per pod. A mature plant can produce hundreds of thousands of seeds. Seeds remain viable for up to 10 years. The tree reproduces solely by way of seeds, not vegetatively. Seeds are spread by cattle and other animals, which consume the seed pods and spread the seeds in their droppings. [6]

Its roots are able to grow to a great depth in search of water similar to Prosopis species. The tree is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka in the 19th century, where it is now known as vanni-andara, or katu andara in Sinhala. It is claimed that N. juliflora existed and was recognised even as a holy tree in ancient India, but this is most likely a confusion with P. cineraria . The tree is believed to have existed in the Vanni and Mannar regions for a long time.[ citation needed ] This species has thorns in pairs at the nodes. The species has variable thorniness, with nearly thornless individuals appearing occasionally.

In the western extent of its range in Ecuador and Peru, N. juliflora readily hybridises with Prosopis pallida and can be difficult to distinguish from this similar species or their interspecific hybrid strains. [7]

Nomenclature

N. juliflora inflorescences and leaves, Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh, India) Vilaiti Keekar (Prosopis juliflora) W IMG 6935.jpg
N. juliflora inflorescences and leaves, Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh, India)

Vernacular names

Neltuma juliflora has a wide range of vernacular names, although no widely used English one except for mesquite , which is also used for several species of Prosopis . It is called bayahonda blanca in Spanish, bayarone Français in French, and bayawonn in Creole. Other similar names are also used, including bayahonde, bayahonda and bayarone, but these may also refer to any Neotropical member of the genus Prosopis. In Tamil this bush tree is called சீமைக் கருவேலம் (seemai karuvelam). The tree is known by a range of other names in various parts of the world, including algarrobe, cambrón, cashaw, épinard, mesquite, mostrenco, or mathenge. [8] Many of the less-specific names are because over large parts of its range, it is the most familiar and common species of mesquite, and thus to locals simply "the" bayahonde, algarrobe, etc. "Velvet mesquite" is sometimes given as an English name, but properly refers to a different species, Prosopis velutina . [5]

In the late 1800s in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas it was known by the common names of mesquit and algaroba. In Texas and New Mexico it was also known as honey locust , a name it shared even at the time with the much more widely known Gleditsia triacanthos in Texas. In Texas it was additionally called honey pod and ironwood. [9]

Parts drawing from the 1880-1883 edition of F. M. Blanco's Flora de Filipinas. Blanco already suspected that Prosopis vidaliana, then quite recently described, was identical with bayahonda blanca. Prosopis juliflora Blanco2.392.jpg
Parts drawing from the 1880–1883 edition of F. M. Blanco's Flora de Filipinas. Blanco already suspected that Prosopis vidaliana, then quite recently described, was identical with bayahonda blanca.
N. juliflora tree Prosopis juliflora new.JPG
N. juliflora tree

Synonyms

This plant has been described under a number of now-invalid scientific names: [3]

Algarobia juliflora as defined by G. Bentham refers only to the typical variety, Prosopis juliflora var. juliflora(Sw.) DC
C.S. Kunth's Prosopis dulcis is Smooth Mesquite (P. laevigata), while P. dulcis as described by W.J. Hooker is Caldén (P. caldenia).

Prosopis chilensis was sometimes considered to belong here too, but is now usually considered a separate species. [5] Several other authors misapplied P. chilensis to P. glandulosa (honey mesquite). [3]

Etymology

Names in and around Indian Subcontinent, where the species is widely used for firewood and to make barriers, often compare it to similar trees and note its introduced status; thus in Hindi it is called angaraji babul, Kabuli kikar, vilayati babul, vilayati khejra or vilayati kikar. The angaraji and vilayati names mean they were introduced by Europeans, while Kabuli kikar (or keekar) means "Kabul acacia"; babul specifically refers to Acacia nilotica and khejra (or khejri) to Proposis. cineraria , both of which are native to South Asia.In Maharashtra it is known as "Katkali (काटकळी)". In Gujarati it is called gando baval (ગાંડો બાવળ- literally translating to "the mad tree") [11] and in Marwari, baavlia. In Kannada it is known as Ballaari Jaali ( ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ ಜಾಲಿ) meaning "Jaali", local name, abundant in and around Bellary district. In Tamil Nadu, in Tamil language it is known as seemai karuvel (சீமைக்கருவேலை), which can be analysed as சீமை ("foreign (or non-native)") + கருவேலை ( Vachellia nilotica ). Another Tamil name is velikathan (வேலிகாத்தான்), from veli (வேலி) "fence" and kathan (காத்தான்) "protector", for its use to make spiny barriers. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in the Telugu language it is known as mulla tumma (ముల్ల తుమ్మ),sarkar tumma,"chilla chettu","Japan Tumma Chettu", "Seema Jaali", or "Kampa Chettu". In Malayalam, it is known as "Mullan". A vernacular. The Somali name is 'Garan-waa' which means 'the unknown'. In the Wayuu language, spoken on the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and Venezuela, it is called trupillo or turpío. [12] In Kenya it is called Mathenge.

As an invasive species

N. juliflora has become an invasive weed in several countries where it was introduced. It is considered a noxious invader in Ethiopia, Hawaii, [1] Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Kenya, the Middle East, India, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Senegal, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. It is also a major weed in the southwestern United States. It is hard and expensive to remove as the plant can regenerate from the roots. [13]

In Australia, mesquite has colonized more than 800,000 hectares (2,000,000 acres) of arable land, having severe economic and environmental impacts. With its thorns and many low branches it forms impenetrable thickets which prevent cattle from accessing watering holes, etc. It also takes over pastoral grasslands and uses scarce water. Livestock which consume excessive amounts of seed pods are poisoned due to neurotoxic alkaloids. It causes land erosion due to the loss of the grasslands that are habitats for native plants and animals. It also provides shelter for feral animals such as pigs and cats. [13]

In the Afar Region in Ethiopia, where the mesquite was introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s, its aggressive growth leads to a monoculture, denying native plants water and sunlight, and not providing food for native animals and cattle. The regional government with the non-governmental organisation FARM-Africa are looking for ways to commercialize the tree's wood, but pastoralists who call it the "Devil Tree" insist that N. juliflora be eradicated. [14]

In Sri Lanka this mesquite was planted in the 1950s near Hambantota as a shade and erosion control tree. It then invaded the grasslands in and around Hambantota and the Bundala National Park, causing similar problems as in Australia and Ethiopia. [6] N. juliflora native to Central and South America is also known as katu andara. It was introduced in 1880 and has become a serious problem as an invasive species. [15]

In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, N. juliflora has emerged as an invasive species. The plant was first introduced by the British in 1877 as part of an effort to plant it along the arid tracts of Southern India. During the 1960s the state government of Tamil Nadu under Chief Minister K. Kamaraj, [16] encouraged the planting of Neltuma juliflora to overcome the shortage of firewood faced by the state at the time, it was also grown as a fence to protect agricultural fields from animals. [17] In 2017, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court ordered the state government to eradicate the species from the state. In 2022, unsatisfied with the state government, the Madras High Court directed the government to immediately frame a policy to eradicate the plant. [18] The state on 13 July 2022 unveiled a policy to eliminate the invasive species. [19]

In Europe, N. juliflora is included since 2019 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). [20] This implies that this species cannot be imported, cultivated, transported, commercialized, planted, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union. [21]

Potential toxicity

The seed pods contain neurotoxic alkaloids which are toxic when eaten excessively by livestock. [13]

Uses

The sweet pods are edible and nutritious, and have been a traditional source of food for indigenous peoples in Peru, Chile and California. [22] Pods were once chewed during long journeys to stave off thirst. [22] They can be eaten raw, boiled, dried and ground into flour to make bread, [22] stored underground, or fermented to make a mildly alcoholic beverage. [23]

The species' uses also include forage, wood and environmental management. The plant possesses an unusual amount of the flavanol (-)-mesquitol in its heartwood. [24]

In the Macará Canton of Ecuador, N. juliflora can be found in dry forests where it is one of the species most frequently harvested for multiple forest products. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesquite</span> Several species of leguminous trees

Mesquite is a common name for some plants in the genus Prosopis and Neltuma, both of which contain over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under ground. As a legume, mesquites are one of the few sources of fixed nitrogen in the desert habitat. The trees bloom from spring to summer. They often produce fruits known as "pods". Prosopis spp. are able to grow up to 8 metres (26 ft) tall, depending on site and climate. They are deciduous and depending on location and rainfall have either deep or shallow roots. Prosopis is considered long-lived because of the low mortality rate after the dicotyledonous stage and juveniles are also able to survive in conditions with low light and drought. The Cahuilla indigenous people of western North America were known to eat the seeds of mesquite.

<i>Prosopis</i> Genus of legumes

Prosopis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Western Asia, and South Asia. They often thrive in arid soil and are resistant to drought, on occasion developing extremely deep root systems. Their wood is usually hard, dense and durable. Their fruits are pods and may contain large amounts of sugar. The generic name means "burdock" in late Latin and originated in the Greek language.

<i>Prosopis pubescens</i> Species of tree

Strombocarpa pubescens, commonly known as screwbean mesquite, is a species of flowering shrub or small tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

<i>Acacia melanoxylon</i> Species of legume

Acacia melanoxylon, commonly known as the Australian blackwood, is an Acacia species native to south-eastern Australia. The species is also known as blackwood, hickory, mudgerabah, Tasmanian blackwood, or blackwood acacia. The tree belongs to the Plurinerves section of Acacia and is one of the most wide-ranging tree species in eastern Australia and is quite variable mostly in the size and shape of the phyllodes.

<i>Prosopis pallida</i> Species of legume

Prosopis pallida is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe, huarango and American carob, as well as "bayahonda", "algarrobo pálido", and "algarrobo blanco". It is a thorny legume, native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, particularly drier areas near the coast. While threatened in its native habitat, it is considered an invasive species in many other places.

<i>Neltuma glandulosa</i> Species of tree

Neltuma glandulosa, formerly Prosopis glandulosa, commonly known as honey mesquite, is a species of small to medium-sized, thorny shrub or tree in the legume family (Fabaceae).

<i>Pithecellobium dulce</i> Species of flowering plant

Pithecellobium dulce, commonly known as Manila tamarind, Madras thorn, monkeypod tree or camachile, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Pacific Coast and adjacent highlands of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is also sometimes known as monkeypod, but that name is also used for several other plants, including Samanea saman. It is an introduced species and extensively naturalized in the Caribbean and Florida, as well as the Philippines and Guam via the Manila galleons. It has also been introduced to Cambodia, Thailand and South Asia, It is considered an invasive species in Hawaii.

<i>Vachellia karroo</i> Species of legume

Vachellia karroo, commonly known as the sweet thorn, common acacia, Karoo thorn, Cape gum or cockspur thorn, is a species of Vachellia, in the Mimosa sub-family (Mimosoideae) of the Fabaceae or pea family, which is native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa.

<i>Vachellia sieberiana</i> Species of legume

Vachellia sieberiana, until recently known as Acacia sieberiana, is a tree native to southern Africa and introduced into Pakistan. It is used in many areas for various purposes. The tree varies from 3 to 25 m in height, with a trunk diameter of 0.6 to 1.8 m. It is not listed as being a threatened species.

<i>Prosopis velutina</i> Species of tree

Prosopis velutina, commonly known as velvet mesquite, is a small to medium-sized tree. It is a legume adapted to a dry, desert climate. Though considered to be a noxious weed in states outside its natural range, it plays a vital role in the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.

Cashaw is a vernacular name for several plants. The term is derived from the colloquial English dialects, in particular Jamaican patois. It can refer to:

Cambrón is a common name for several plants, derived from the Spanish language:

Algarrobilla, small carob in Spanish, also written algarovilla, may refer to :

<i>Prosopis cineraria</i> Species of legume

Prosopis cineraria, also known as Persian mesquite or ghaf, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is native to arid portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, India, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Its leaves are bipinnate. It can survive extreme drought. It is an established introduced species in parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia.

<i>Prosopis chilensis</i> Species of legume

Prosopis chilensis is a species of tree in the genus Prosopis, belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is found in parts of central Chile, southern Peru, Bolivia, and Andean (northwestern) Argentina. Its common names include Chilean mesquite, cupesí, and Chilean algarrobo. It is used for providing shade, for animal feed, and firewood.

<i>Prosopis flexuosa</i> Species of legume

Prosopis flexuosa, commonly known as tortuous mesquite and a variety of Spanish vernacular names including algarrobo dulce and algarrobo negro, is a species of flowering tree in the genus Prosopis of the family Fabaceae. It is found in arid and semi-arid regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, including the western Gran Chaco and the Monte Desert, where it is a conspicuous and characteristic plant of the region. Its timber is used for construction, charcoal and fuel and its fruits are eaten by humans and livestock.

<i>Acacia planifrons</i> Species of legume

The umbrella thorn,, is a species of Acacia of the family Fabaceae. It is native to India and Sri Lanka. It is about 7m high thorny shrub. Greyish-brown bark is thick with horizontal markings. Leaves are bipinnate, alternate; apex obtuse; margin entire. Flowers are white in color. Fruit is a pod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aravali Biodiversity Park, Gurgaon</span> Biodiversity Park at Gurgaon

Aravali diversity-bio Park, Gurgaon, spreads over 392 acres, near the Guru Dronacharya metro station in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. The park, contains ecologically restored and semi arid land vegetation. The park was opened to the public on World Environment Day, 5 June 2010. The park includes a number of trails and a native plant nursery and interpretive displays at the entrance. In 2022, the park was declared India's first OECM site- a tag given by the IUCN to areas that are not protected but support rich biodiversity. In April 2021, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hero MotoCorp Ltd to maintain the park for 10 year.

Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park, is a 172 acre biodiversity area in the South Delhi Ridge within the Northern Aravalli Leopard Wildlife Corridor, located northwest of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

Northern Ridge biodiversity park, in Delhi Ridge of Aravalli range is a 87 hectares biodiversity area in the Northern Ridge in Delhi, India. It lies in the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor.

References

  1. 1 2 "Long-thorn Kiawe". Hawaii Invasive Species Council. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  2. ↑ "Neltuma juliflora (Sw.) Raf". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Prosopis juliflora - ILDIS LegumeWeb". www.ildis.org. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  4. ↑ Muller, Gunter C.; Junnila, Amy; Traore, Mohamad M.; Traore, Sekou F.; Doumbia, Seydou; Sissoko, Fatoumata; Dembele, Seydou M.; Schlein, Yosef; Arheart, Kristopher L. (2017-07-05). "The invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora enhances the malaria parasite transmission capacity of Anopheles mosquitoes: a habitat manipulation experiment". Malaria Journal. 16 (1): 237. doi: 10.1186/s12936-017-1878-9 . PMC   5497341 . PMID   28676093.
  5. 1 2 3 "Prosopis juliflora". www.hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  6. 1 2 Lalith Gunasekera, Invasive Plants: A guide to the identification of the most invasive plants of Sri Lanka, Colombo 2009, pp. 101-102.
  7. ↑ Pasiecznik, Harris, and Smith (2004). Identifying Tropical Prosopis Species (PDF). Coventry, UK: Henry Doubleday Research Association.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Factsheet: Prosopis juliflora (prosopis or mesquite)".
  9. ↑ Sudworth, George Bishop (1897). Nomenclature of the Arborescent Flora of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Department of Agriculture, Forestry Division. pp. 251–253. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  10. ↑ "Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC". The Plant List - A working list of all plant species. 2013.
  11. ↑ "An army of mad trees". www.downtoearth.org.in. 15 April 1999. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  12. ↑ Villalobos et al. (2007)
  13. 1 2 3 "Mesquite (Prosopis species)"Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra Archived 2017-03-29 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Caroline Irby, "Devil of a problem: the tree that's eating Africa" Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 14 January 2009)
  15. ↑ Gunasekera, Lalith (6 December 2011). "Will Katu-andara Destroy the Biodiversity of Bundala Wet Land?". The Sri Lanka Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  16. ↑ "Seemai karuvelam, a saviour-turned-villain whose tentacles spread far and wide". The Hindu. 2017-02-27. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  17. ↑ Kolappan, B. (2017-02-28). "Seemai karuvelam, a saviour-turned-villain whose tentacles spread far and wide". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  18. ↑ James, Sebin (2022-02-02). "Full Bench Of Madras High Court Directs State To Immediately Frame Action Plan For Removal Of Invasive 'Seemai Karuvelam' Trees". www.livelaw.in. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  19. ↑ "State Unveils Policy To Rid Tamil Nadu Of 'seemai Karuvelam' | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. Jul 15, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  20. ↑ "List of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern - Environment - European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  21. ↑ "REGULATION (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European parliament and of the council of 22 October 2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species".
  22. 1 2 3 Pieroni, Andrea (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 32. ISBN   0415927463.
  23. ↑ Peattie, Donald Culross (1953). A Natural History of Western Trees. New York: Bonanza Books. pp. 559, 562.
  24. ↑ Unusual amount of (-)-mesquitol from the heartwood of Prosopis juliflora. Sirmah Peter, Dumarcay Stephane, Masson Eric and Gerardin Philippe, Natural Product Research, Volume 23, Number 2, January 2009 , pp. 183-189
  25. ↑ Mendoza, Zhofre Aguirre (8 September 2014). "Productos forestales no maderables de los bosques secos de Macara, Loja, Ecuador" . Retrieved 2018-11-10.

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