Prosopis velutina  Velvet Mesquite
DECIDUOUS TREE.  A short tree with a tangled, irregular crown that branches in all directions.  Bark is dark gray to black, with long fissures.  Young branches have paired white thorns.  Leaves pinnate, dark green, in clusters.  Tiny yellow flowers in long drooping spikes, blooming in May-June and again in July-August after rains.  Pods stiff and brittle, very long and narrow, in clusters, often slightly coiled or twisted, pale yellowish when ripe, sometimes splashed with purple dots.  Common throughout the Empires.  Largest trees grow in washes.  Upland trees in grazed areas are often so heavily browsed by cattle that they have stubby branches, few leaves, and no flowers or pods.
FAMILY:  Fabaceae (Pea Family)