Neltuma velutina

Velvet mesquite

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Velvet mesquite is a naturalized shrub found in southern California coastal regions including San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast, Southern Coast, and Peninsular Ranges in sandy or rocky canyon and wash habitats at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small yellow-green flowers in spike-like racemes 5 to 15 centimeters long. Growing as a spreading, rounded shrub or small tree up to 15 meters tall with often crooked branches, it features distinctive branching with sharp spines 10 to 20 millimeters long. Its compound leaves have 2 to 4 primary leaflet clusters, each containing 30 to 60 small oblong secondary leaflets 4 to 15 millimeters long. The fruit is a linear pod 8 to 15 centimeters long, containing seeds 5 to 7 millimeters in size.

Habitat: Uncommon. Sandy or rocky soils in canyons, washes

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 1000 m

Bioregions: SnJV, CCo, SCo, PR

California counties: Kern, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Orange, Alameda, Stanislaus, Monterey, San Benito

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.