Prosopis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia.[4] Previously it also contained around 40 species of spinytrees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas and Africa, now mostly placed in genera Strombocarpa and Neltuma. They often thrive in aridsoil 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.[5]
Traditionally the genus included many more species with a cosmopolitan distribution. A taxonomic monograph in 1976 by Arturo Erhardo Burkart recognised 44 species and subdivided the genus into five sections: section Anonychium in Africa, section Prosopis in Asia, and sections Algarobia, Monilicarpa and Strombocarpa in the New World.[11][12] Twelve additional species in section Algarobia have since been recognised. A genomic analysis published in 2022 concluded that Prospopsis was polyphyletic and that species traditionally grouped under the genus Prosopis belonged to four genera that broadly aligned with the Burkart's sections: Anonychium, Neltuma (for sections Algarobia and Monilicarpa), Prosopis, and Strombocarpa.[12]
The following phylogenetic tree shows the relationship of these genera (bold) with other closely related mimosoid genera.[12]
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