mesquite

Mes*qui"te, Mes*quit", n. Etym: [Sp. mezquite; said to be a Mexican Indian word.] (Bot.) Defn: A name for two trees of the southwestern part of North America, the honey mesquite, and screw-pod mesquite. Honey mesquite. See Algaroba (b). -- Screw-pod mesquite, a smaller tree (Prosopis pubescens), having spiral pods used as fodder and sometimes as food by the Indians. -- Mesquite grass, a rich native grass in Western Texas (Bouteloua oligostachya, and other species); -- so called from its growing in company with the mesquite tree; -- called also muskit grass, grama grass.

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