Prosopis spp. of the family Fabaceae (syn. Leguminosae) the legume, pea, or bean family, including at least the following (this list is not comprehensive but is a good indication of the variety and the overlap of common names among species):
Prosopis juliflora (Arizona black, brown, common, honey pod, velvet, screwbean) very strangely, this also has the common name "honey locus" but I've never seen it called that and that name is normally used for the unrelated wood Gleditsia triacanthos which is anatomically completely different than Prosopis spp.
Prosopis kuntzei (itin)
Prosopis limensis
Prosopis nigra (black, Argentine black)
Prosopis odorata (screwbean, screwpod mesquite)
Prosopis pallida
Prosopis pubescens (screwbean)
Prosopis velutina (velvet)
I have it anecdotally that the ammonia fuming recommended for deepening the color in white oak does a great job of deepening the color in pale mesquite.
my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions
both sides of a sample plank of honey mesquite / Prosopis glandulosa
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of honey mesquite / Prosopis glandulosa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of honey mesquite / Prosopis glandulosa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of honey mesquite / Prosopis glandulosa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of itin / Prosopis kuntzei --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. I note that both the color and the end grain characteristics of this species are notably different than those of the other Prosopis species by the absence of any heavy confluent parenchyma bands but I have found reference works that show some Prosopis species without confluent parenchyma (specifically Prosopis pallida) so perhaps it's OK but I'm doubtful.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Argentine black mesquite / Prosopis nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of curly Argentine black mesquite / Prosopis nigra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The curly is extremely tight and very hard to see in the pics but you can see some wavy grain in the small portion of the side grain on the left of the end grain pic and that pic makes the curl easier to see than the straight-on face grain shots.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of velvet mesquite / Prosopis velutina --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of velvet mesquite / Prosopis velutina --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of Chilean, mesquite / Prosopsis chilensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
both sides of a square "cookie" of velvet mesquite loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
side view
two closeups of the face (which is actually end grain). The first is to show the pith area and the second is an area that I sanded down to 400 grit.
mesquite from Arizona, generously donated to the site by Bill and Kathy Baumbeck of Arizona Silhouette. Thanks folks. The two planks are each shown with end grain and then there is an end grain closeup of each. Note that on the 2nd one, the side shows some ray flakes.
both sides of a sample plank of velvet mesquite / Prosopis velutina --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was plank and end grain
end grain closeup (upside down) and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above
plank and end grain
end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above
end of Arizona mesquite
sample plank and end grain sold to me as mesquite / Prosopis juliflora --- NOTE: the color is shown incorrectly; it should be much more like the piece directly above, a reddish tan/brown.
both sides of a sample plank of mesquite / Prosopis juliflora --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of mesquite / Prosopis juliflora --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of mesquite / Prosopis juliflora --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
plank and end grain of a piece purchased as "Argentine mesquite"
end grain closeup of the piece directly above and an END GRAIN UPDATE which is supposedly from the piece directly above but does not appear to be. Either it's from the other end or I got my records messed up. In any case it IS an end grain closeup of mesquite.
turning stick, about 2"x2"x8", and a face grain closeup --- huge enlargements are present
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above --- huge enlargements are present
cropped pic of a cutting board shot at a craft store
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
screwpod mesquite (Prosopis odorata) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views. Note that the flat cut piece is all sapwood
web pics:
log ends
end grain
freshly milled pieces --- both levels of enlargement are present
chunk of mesquite and end grain --- I'm doubtful about the green color
planks and slabs, just listed as "mesquite"
planks of Argentine mesquite, all from the same vendor and with HUGE enlargements present
moistened slabs just listed as mesquite
slabs and closeup (note wet section)
the same slab shot in the shade and in direct sunlight
turning stick listed as just "mesquite"
plank listed as mesquite but I am VERY dubious about the color on this one
several views of the same set of planks
plank listed as Prosopis juliflora
two planks and a closeup. These were listed as honey mesquite / Propsopis nigra, apparently by someone who just makes up his own names since honey mesquite is Prosopis glandulosa and Prosopis nigra is black mesquite.
Texas mesquite bowl blank
Texas mesquite log sections
Texas mesquite planks, bookmatched and remarkably clear of flaws for planks this large of this species
plank listed as Arizona mesquite
both sides of a plank
turning stock, all listed as black mesquite
plank listed as black mesquite
figured turning stock, also listed as black mesquite
pen blanks
black mesquite / Prosopis nigra plank with wet and dry sections
black mesquite plank (Prosopis nigra) moistened for the pic
planks listed as "black" mesquite
planks, all from the same vendor and all listed as "black" mesquite / Prosopis nigra
planks listed as figured black mesquite / Prosopis nigra and likely moistened for the pics. I don't see any figure at all, just normal grain lines, although it's possible there is a small amount of curl along the left side of the 2nd plank from the right.
plank specifically listed as black mesquite, Prosopis nigra --- both enlargements are present
plank listed as black mesquite --- although not listed as curly and has a nice curl and is the only curly mesquite I ever remember seeing. I'm very dubious about the overly rich color.
plank listed as South American mesquite / Prosopis nigra
turning stock and bowl blanks listed as black mesquite / Prosopis nigra
planks listed as Argentine mesquite --- both levels of enlargement are present and the grain is shown quite clearly
planks listed as Argentine black mesquite
bookmatched pair of Argentine black mesquite
plank listed as "brown" mesquite
planks listed as "honey" mesquite
turning stock listed as honey mesquite / Prosopis alba
pen blanks from honey mesquite milled in Texas
honey mesquite flooring
plank specifically listed as honey mesquite, P alba
"screwbean" mesquite; so-called because the branches of the seed pods look something like a bean that has screw threads on it.
gun stocks listed as screwbean mesquite --- the original pics on the Internet were WILDLY oversaturated so I've toned them down a bit.
flooring listed as Argentine mesquite
scales just listed as mesquite
bowl blanks listed as just mesquite
several small mesquite planks that have been glued up to form a large surface
looks like a bookmatched crotch area, but it wasn't labeled as anything in particular
crotches
listed as mesquite burl but doesn't look like a burl to me
"honey" mesquite burl
a 12" diameter root ball
a root ball with a finished piece sitting on top of it
burls
both sides of a burl
burl scales --- the 2nd pic is of a bookmatched pair
bowls by Bryan Nelson (NelsonWood). Bryan fine-polishes his bowls with 1200 or even higher grit sandpaper while they are spinning at high speed on the lathe and then finishes them there with a friction polish of his own devising, thus achieving a shine and color vibrancy that is beautiful to behold. The first of these is 5" across, the 2nd is 7", and the 3rd is 11".
part of a coffee table
guitar set
bowl turned by Al Amstutz
bowls listed as Texas mesquite
hollow forms listed as Texas mesquite
rough-turned bowl blanks
bowls
two views of a bowl
both sides of a bowl turned from a "flawed" chunk of wood. Looks great, I think.
bowl by Kathy Marshall
bowl listed as Texas honey mesquite
mesquite vase from very rough to rough to finished
both sides of a farmhouse pitcher with a laminated handle
three views of a Chilean mesquite bowl. The wood was harvested near Scottsdale, AZ and the bowl was turned by Lea Montaire, whom I thank for the excellent pics (enlargements are present and they really show the grain well). Lea tells me that while some Chilean mesquite tends to the purple-grey spectrum, especially when turned green and not yet finished, this particular bowl was turned from dry wood, and then oiled, which brings out the browns more. Chilean mesquite is usually a much darker spectrum than the honey or other domestic mesquite species.
lidded box made from Arizona mesquite
box made by Kathy Marshall
boxes
hollow forms, one burl, one burl with natural edge