Native mesquite gets a serious look for landscapes

The mesquite tree is a Texas icon — or a Texas curse, depending on your point of view. Blamed by generations of ranchers for ruining pasture and range land in Texas, mesquite brush now covers more than 56 million acres, according to the Texas Almanac. Before European settlement, mesquite was present, but in far fewer numbers. We know this from written accounts of the first Texas explorers, such as Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Mostly confined to areas of deep soil on hillsides near seasonal creeks, mesquites grew as medium-size, single-trunk trees 30 to 40 feet tall with even broader canopies. Native Americans greatly valued mesquite. The abundant seed pods are high in sugar and can be processed into a nutritious flour or fermented to produce an alcoholic drink. Early Spanish settlers found even more uses for the tree. In arid parts of Texas, mesquite is often the only tree large enough to provide useful lumber. Mesquite wood is hard, dense and strong. It makes sturdy beams for buildings and long-lasting fence posts; mesquite planks were used for the doors of mission churches and their altars. Carved mesquite wood shows its beautiful red-brown color in bowls, cooking utensils, furniture and flooring. The scraps burn hot and long, giving coals perfect for cooking...more