Flower profile

Honey mesquite

Neltuma glandulosa

Honey mesquite (Neltuma glandulosa) is a flowering plant in the Fabaceae family, blooming mostly March–June across the U.S.

Honey mesquite is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

–states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

33,034U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: New Mexico, Texas

Quick look

Neltuma glandulosa, formerly Prosopis glandulosa, commonly known as honey mesquite, is a species of small to medium-sized, thorny shrub or tree in the legume family (Fabaceae).
From Wikipedia's article Neltuma glandulosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and New Mexico. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 30,345 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #6 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,882 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #17 among the 152 flowers on our New Mexico list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (701 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	March–June	30,345
New Mexico	Native	few records (11)	1,882

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.