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P. glandulosa exhibits high levels of variability in morphological characters. Variations are observed principally in native populations. In invading populations, clinal variations are obscured because of the rapid and widespread dispersal of diverse genetic material by humans and animals over a range of site and climatic conditions. The following description is adapted from Burkart (1976).
P. glandulosa is a tree up to 9 m tall, with a trunk diameter up to 1 m, though larger specimens are recorded. Spines are axillary, uninodal, 1-4.5 cm long, mostly solitary, sometimes very few, solitary or paired, sometimes with solitary and paired thorns on different nodes of the same twig. Leaves bipinnate, glabrous, 1-2 pairs of pinnae per leaf, up to 15 cm long. Pinnae 6-17 cm long, each with 6-17 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets distant on the rachis, 2-6.3 cm long by 1.5-4.5 mm broad, linear or oblong, 5-15 times as long as broad, obtuse, glabrous, subcoriaceous, prominently veined below. Flowers yellow, racemes 5-14 cm long, multiflorous, petals 2.5-3.5 mm long, ovary stalked, villous. Legume straight, 8-20 cm long by 0.7-1.3 cm broad, rarely subfalcate, compressed to subterete, submoniliform, glabrous, straw coloured or tinged with violet, short-stalked, with strong, varyingly acuminate. There are 5-18 seeds per pod, seeds 6-7 mm long, oblique to longitudinal. P. glandulosa var. torreyana has a similar habit to P. glandulosa var. glandulosa but with generally shorter pinnae and shorter leaflets that are less distant on the rachis. P. glandulosa var. prostrata is similar in foliar and floral morphology to var. glandulosa but differs in its habit, being generally a low-growing shrub.

Related invasive species

  • Prosopis glandulosa

Related Farm Practice

  • Exhibitions
  • Materials
  • Conditioning
  • Habits
Impact

P. glandulosa has been widely introduced and planted as a fuel and fodder tree. Seed are spread widely by grazing animals from established plantations or single trees around houses or water-holes, and will persist for long periods in the seed bank. It has shown itself to be a very aggressive invader, especially in sub-tropical arid and semi-arid natural grasslands, both in its native range and where introduced. It is a nitrogen-fixing species and very drought and salt tolerant, rapidly out-competing other vegetation. Thorniness and a bushy habit enable it to quickly block paths and make whole areas impenetrable. Invasion in the native range generally involves an increase in plant density rather than an increase in its range. P. glandulosa is a declared noxious weed in Australia and South Africa, and the genus as a whole is regulated in several other countries. It is also reported as invasive in other southern African countries, notably Botswana and Namibia where it is known to hybridise with P. velutina, also in Australia, though P. glandulosa tends to dominate. In terms of ecology, uses, management and control, P. glandulosa and P. velutina can be effectively treated together, as a species complex.

Has Cabi datasheet ID
44439
Oss tagged
x

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