mesquite

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MESQUITE

Prosopis spp.
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 alba (brown)
Prosopis alpataco (alpataco)
Prosopis casadensis (Bolivian)
Prosopis chilensis (Chilean, common, Mexican, Guatamalan)
Prosopis glandulosa (common, honey, velvet)
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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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.

end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

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.

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above --- color is correct

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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

END GRAIN UPDATE from 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

The Wood Book pics

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.