Prosopis denudans
Benth.
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(c) Francisco González Táboas, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Francisco González Táboas, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seed pods ?
The seed pods may be edible, though this is uncertain.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. In Argentina it grows between 500-1,000 m above sea level.
Andes, Argentina, Chile, South America*,
How to Identify
A spiny shrub from temperate Argentina growing about 2 m tall with curved seed pods. It occurs in mountainous regions between 500-1,000 m elevation.
Medicinal Uses
Neltuma species have been found to contain 5-hydroxytryptamine, apigenin, isorhamnetin-3-diglucoside, l-arabinose, quercetin, tannin, and tryptamine. The tannins present in Neltuma species are of the pyrogallotannin and pyrocatecollic types. The tannins are mainly found in the bark and wood, while their concentration in the pods is low. Some species, such as N. velutina, produce a gum (mesquite gum).
Names & Synonyms
Algarrobo
References (2)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 703
- Molares, S. & Ladio, A., 2012, The Usefulness of Edible and Medicinal Fabaceae in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia: Environmental Availability and Other Sources of Supply. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Volume 2012, Article ID 901918, 12 pages, Hindawi Publishing Corporation.
