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Neltuma chilensis
Also called Chilean Mesquite, Algarrobo
Chilean algarrobo is a drought-hardy, deciduous leguminous tree from arid parts of South America, grown mainly for shade, firewood and livestock fodder. It thrives in full sun and well-drained, light soil, and needs very little water once established.
Neltuma chilensis (formerly Prosopis chilensis) is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae. It is found in parts of central Chile, southern Peru, Bolivia, and Andean (northwestern) Argentina. Its common names include Chilean mesquite (algarrobo chileno, in Spanish), cupesí (in eastern Bolivia), and Chilean algarrobo. It is used for providing shade, for animal feed, and firewood.
Neltuma chilensis is found in Peru, Bolivia, eastern Argentina, and central Chile, growing on light soils in arid regions. It is highly drought-resistant and likely fixes nitrogen. It has been introduced into Hawaii, where it is now commonly found growing in thickets behind beaches.
Neltuma chilensis is used as a shade tree and for firewood. The leaves are used as fodder for livestock and the pods and seeds are of high nutritive value and are ground to make an animal feed. Honey bees, and several other species of bee, pollinate the flowers.
Mesquite · Algarrobo Blanco · Neltuma flexuosa · Mesquite · Smooth Mesquite · Mesquite · Neltuma affinis · Neltuma caldenia · Jand · Syrian mesquite · Neltuma glandulosa · Prosopis humilis
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Neltuma chilensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
