Types of Mesquite – Honey, Velvet, or Screwbean

Choose honey mesquite, velvet mesquite, or screwbean mesquite first.

Choose honey mesquite, velvet mesquite, or screwbean mesquite first

The first choice is habit. Honey mesquite is the weeping Texas tree with shiny leaflets and long pods. Velvet mesquite is the Arizona native with fuzzy leaflets and stronger wood than a South American nursery hybrid. Screwbean mesquite is the smaller vase with tightly coiled pods, often sold as tornillo. Read the Latin on the tag before you buy, because shop names mix mesquite with palo verde. [1] Honey is the long-pod weeping tree. Velvet is the fuzzy Arizona native. Screwbean is the coiled-pod wash tree. Do not buy a Chilean hybrid because the nursery sign said mesquite.

Browse by kind

Match the habit, then pick that kind. Care for the tree you already have on How to Grow Mesquite.

Honey mesquite

honey mesquite is the weeping Texas tree, about fifteen to thirty feet, with shiny leaflets and long straight pods. Buy this group when you want that open, feathery shade, not a coiled-pod wash tree. [2]

Velvet mesquite

velvet mesquite is the Arizona native, often thirty to fifty feet with water, with fuzzy leaflets and dark bark. Shop tags also say Arizona mesquite. Native wood is stronger than a Chilean nursery hybrid, so keep the Latin on the tag in view. [3]

Screwbean mesquite

screwbean mesquite is the smaller vase, about twenty-five feet, with tightly coiled pods. Shop tags also say tornillo. It wants a wash or a bit more moisture, so it is a poor pick if you wanted a dry-ridge honey. [4]

If you wanted an Arizona native, buy velvet mesquite — Chilean nursery hybrids are a different tree.