HONEY MESQUITE (One-fourth natural size)
The LEAVES are pinnately [compound], consisting of 12 to 20 [leaflets] attached along a central [rachis], or “stem”, 8 to 10 inches long. The leaflets are often 2 inches long, smooth, dark green, and pointed. Near their bases are small spines.
The fragrant FLOWERS are tiny and in clusters (spikes) from 2 to 4 inches long. The [FRUIT] is a [pod] about 4 to 9 inches, narrowed between each of the 10 to 20 seeds enclosed in a thick sweet pulp, used by the natives as food and eagerly sought by wildlife and livestock.
The WOOD is heavy, hard, and dark reddish-brown in color. It is much used for fuel and, because it is durable in the ground, for fence posts.
Mesquite has long been designated as P. juliflora (Sw.) D.C., with the varieties glandulosa (Torr.) Cockerell and velutina (Woot.) Sarg. found in Texas.
WESTERN HONEY MESQUITE (P. juliflora var. torreyana L. Benson) occurs in southern and Trans-Pecos regions of Texas. This species is usually a shrub or sometimes a small tree.
EASTERN REDBUD
Cercis canadensis L.
Eastern Redbud, sometimes called Judas-tree from its oriental relative of that name, is a small tree scattered through the woods of East Texas to the Brazos River. It attains a height of 25 to 50 feet and a diameter of 6 to 12 inches. Its stout branches usually form a wide flat head.
EASTERN REDBUD (Twig, two-thirds natural size; [fruit] and leaf, one-third natural size)