I don't think anyone actually knows where Mesquite originated:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0292771053/ref%3Dnosim/broughsbooks/103-4148597-5480617
The Magnificent Mesquite
Ken Rogers, an ecologist with the Texas Forest Service, offers a handy
almanac of all matters related to Prosopis, a genus that probably
originated not in the Southwest but on the plains of Argentina, where
34 of the known 44 species of the tree are found. His text, supported
by photographs and range maps, provides notes on the mesquite's life
history, distribution, and economic importance worldwide. That
importance, Rogers believes, will increase, thanks to the mesquite's
ability to grow on marginal arid lands and to provide a range of wood
products (including highly durable furniture, timber, and flooring),
fodder for livestock, and easily renewable organic matter for fuel and
chemical processes.
Maybe Argentina?? |