In addition, below ground the mesquite has a root system which is really a trunk with branches going as deep as 20 meters or more underground.

The "treetop" consists of a collection of shrubs which can extend over 1000 square meters or more, all of them connected to the same trunk.

The plant is deciduous, and leaf fall is dependent on climate conditions at the end of summer and in autumn.

In folk medicine, the fruit is used as a diuretic, and against constipation, hemorrhoids, tooth pain, diabetes, kidney stones, skin conditions, and more.

There has been just one report where four children developed mild clinical toxicity after ingestion of seeds with pods.