Reproduction and Establishment of Velvet Mesquite as Related to Invasion of Semidesert Grasslands

Abstract

southern Arizona, oncolltrol methods of velTet mesquite ancfthe ef fects of eradication on forage production, soil moisture, and soil Shl bility were reported:in 1952 by Parker and ~hrtin (38).'I']w,se men found, in studies conduded oyer the, period 1940--4.8, that control cost ('ouM be returned in 9 yean; Ih rough increased fora~e production.Furthermore, the benefits of mesquite control \you!(l contjnne for an additional Hi years befol'e treatment would agaill be necessary to control tht' 1'eiJ1Yllsion.Ho\\'pvt'l', the.v pointed out that ;1(lditiOlla1 researe1l was ncC'C1ecl 1'0 1't'\"(>al l110re eflit-ieDt methods for killing mesquite.As a partin1 SOll1l:011 to 111(' broad l)1'o1>lell1 of llw!'qllii"e ilwnc:iol1, this paper pl'esenb.;informatioll 011 tIll' 1'e]ll'o(luetioll alld estnblisll ment 01 ve]yet.mesqllilf' nn 1'01'111('1' ~l'asslal1(l siles.The data ~iven nre base(l largely Oil int(>l1si\" (> stll(iil's ('onc!lIC'tl'd sin('e 1!1~R maillly on the SanhL Hita 'I<:xp('I'(Il1Pnhtl Hnllgl' Il('al' TI\('soll, ~\t-iz.Ohsel' vations 11lncll' thl'ou~lt()lIt Slllltlll'1'11 .\,l'iz()lInsilh'l' aholll 1!)(1() nn' abo included.The finr1lnp:s elpa!'l.\' sI10\\' that illnu.,ionh,Y yeln:t lllesqllile is dependent nr"n a 1l1l111bpl' of I'l'('ogniz!lhlp habitat or site i':letol's.In ~Hlditioll, (Ill' stllcl)' shO\Y~ ways ill ",hieh l'allgp-I1l:1I1ngPIlll'lIt P!'aC' !"ices can aid in ]ll'ewlltillg thp spl'ead ol~ nlJxiolls IllPsqllit'piMo Ilnill fest('(l, hilt' appal'Plltly slIs(,ppt'hlf'.(\(':-'('1'1' gl'asslall(ls. TAXONOMY AND DISTRIBUTIONTIll' tax()llo11lY :111(1 distl'ihllt iOIl 01' :'0111 h\n':-.t(,1'1lII 1(':-:(11 Ii 1(':,; lJa\"(' heen t:hOl'OI Iu'h I v clis(,lIsssl'd 11", Bpnson un nnd nt'(' I'P\"il'\\'l,(1 11(~]'(' (lilly bl'ieR.Y. )[escpiit('s lwlollg tt) tltp genlls /"'(,slI/lis in the sllld'ami(\' Jlimos(lcP{u' of thp ]('gllllll' 1' t1 mi l,r, '1'1]('.\a1'(' d la l'actPl'i:-:t i(' plants of the tl'opiefll or sllbiTopienl ('Iilll:ltie I'Pgiolls of fhl' ,\rp:-:tl'l'n Hel11i spllpl'e, ~\1'l'ica, (llP )[ic1dll' East, Hlld Illelia.TI1I'(ll' clo-;l'I.\"intpl'gnulpt\ \';II'i('t il':-' of IlI('Sqltitl' (W('II\' ill fill' 1-llih'(] FHnt('s (G..12) :hOlll'," IIlPS(ptill' t I' ..illlif/II/'" \'al'.!I/ (tlldu/o s ([ ('1'01'1'.)Cockp1'l'll),\\"pstpl'll hO!l('.\'1~1l':,(plitl' (I' ..ill/it/o/'fl nIl'.tOI'/'('.'/fll1((L.Bl'llson), nnd \'('1 Y(, t IIH':-:qllltl' (I) .illlif/II/'fl\"nl', {'('/,/tinil ('Yont.)Sal'!!.).Thps(' all Ya I'\' \\'i<1el\' iII ~I'n\\'th fO),lll a n<1 :-;izp.Taxonol1l i ea11)' tllP Y:I l'ic'I'il'::; wh ;;' 11 nI'P j'Pl'Ogll izpc1 hy Bl'Il:-;OIl un and Kp;u'IH')' and P('('hlt)s (.1.2) (Ii 11' (' 1' ll1:1inh Oil til!' lJ:l",i:-; of (litl\'I'l'IH'PS il1 ;-;iz(', nlllll her, ana lla i I'il\('ss 0 I' h';dl('t< 'YIH'I'P\'l'1' \':1 ]'i('t'i('"' ()('CIII' to!!l'l"h(']' ai' along-t-lH' Hio (i1H.IHlp ill thp \'i('illit Y or 1,:1 Pa:-:o.Tl'x .. tlll'.\iiIlPI'p:ra(lc and ;lre diffi('IIlt" to cli:,f"iJl~lli;:;h.Hon('YlIll'::;qllit(' i:-;('hnl:n<'i('I'i:-;ti('HllY:t :-hl'lth o],:-;1I1:t11 tn'!',It Ol't'II],"; extel1Rivl'h-throtl!2'llOlIt ll1UC'h or Tpxn;-; and ;-;r)1ltlll'l'n :111<1l':tst('rn Xl'\\" )1.('xi('o.'Sen tt'(,I'~'rl ::;tHlHI,; (H'('llr liS fn I' lIoI,th a;,; soutlll'l'n 'Ka n::;as and :;ollf"!lNtst'(>J'n Colol'nclo.,V('stPl'n 1Ion(')' 111(':"(1'1 ill' (H'('II 1'''; Ill'illcipn II.\' in f'OIl thl'l'n Xl'\\' )[l'xi('o, weRt Tt'Xilf:.and sOllthl'a:-;tl'I'1l ;Ind w('",lpI'n .\I'iwlla.It also o('elll'S ro Rome extl'nl' in s(JIIIIl('I'1I Califol'nia, \\'(':-;t(,1'11 rtall, and s()utl1l'l'n Xl'vRc1a.This 01'111 is commonly a lal'gP shl'lIb Ol'l'lll'l'ing 011 ;t y:tricty of soils.On sn ncly soi Is nlOyi np: so 11(1 nf(PIi ('ollp('ls a 1' 011 nd the 1)lants,forminl! clnn('R that le:l\"(' only HlP lip:; of til(' bl'an('hes (>xpose(1.Lo cally tlliH iF oftpn refl'l'I'NI (0 a::; "cllllll' 111('sl\lIil.l'.' REPRODUC'l'ION At'TD ESTABLISH.MENT OF VELVET MESQUITE Velvet mesquite OCClli'S principally in southern and central Al'izOlut llnd southwestern New Mexico.It usually assumes a tree for111 but ma,y become shrubby and multistemmed on drier sites.Along river bottoms it reaches a height of 40 feet or 1110l.'ewith n, well-deHned trunk up to :2 feet in diameter 01.' lal'ger.Mesquite,., are l'ecognizpd by IlJORt pcologi;;ts (.1'7, ,1{J~ 4,2, ,i,J) as typicrtl of warm, al'i.cl01" ::>ellJinritl sitps.TIlt',\' gTOW bpst 011 allnvial bottom iaml soils ('7, 4(j).Haill'Y U) t'om;i(iPJ's Illl'squit(' to be lL typical.plalJt of the "Lo,n'l" SonOl'a n" I ii'l:'-zolll' (./;7).1101\'('1'('1', thes(' plants in val'ying forl1ls now extem1 far IJpyond tlwse limits.Estimntes (J8,5B) jndicata t.hat mesquitl's han' spJ'pad on'l' j;'j million acres in Texas, Arizona, and X~'\Y .\lexieo,Stands I'a n/l'l' from S('t\ iteJ'etl trees to dense thickpts.011 the Imsis of a. SIlI'l'e,Y Illadp by r-pson et ill.(48) in 1937, vehet JI1l'::oquite :tlolle i;; 11011" estiIll:dpd to iJe !!J'o\\'illg on 8 to 9 million :teres alld it:iE spJ'eading rapidly, ~\.(,t'OUJlts of Span ish l'xploJ'a t ions d IIri IIg the piu:I.\'l(jth l'('lIhll:y COI1 hlin (!,pqllent I'dPI'l'Il(,(IS to lal'gl' IlIPSqllitl's :\loll!! t"lll' main draillages whidl at that tillll' \1"('1'(1 tlll' pl'illl'ipal l'Olltl'S of tml'('1 thl'Ollgh the regioll, HepoI't;.: of tIll' p:\I'lip>'t botaJlit'al ('xpeditiol1s through the Southwest ha I'e bl'PII Slll1llllal'i,wd by Bogllseh (8) and leaye no doubt th:tt ll1E's([uitp \l'1IS all illdi!!Pllou;,: plallt pI'iol' to I\"hite sdtlement.Thosl' I'PPOl 'ts dl'alillg SIll'l'i fil'a 11,\' with ;,:ollthel'11 ~\l'izontt sel'll1 to indicate thal' t'll(' tTel'-fol'l1l n,ln't Illl'S!Plit(>l\"as, at nIHt time, mainly con(-iner1 10 waten'oul's!:';': (.~ .. I.] .. 14,' D. p. '7:); .![); 44, pp, .98-99).Thl' rI,\' ObSl'I'I'atiolls al'p illlpOl'tallt in pstablishing I'be existelI('p of I'e., A nIP;.:qllih?ill SOil Hll'l'll .\l'izollapl'iol' to white s('ttlelllellt, Howen'r.they ('olltain litil(' (kfinitin' infol'lllation I'cgan1ing' its orig inal abulldan('e Oil IOt'al al'('a;.:,aud PI'('11 ll-ss ('OlH'CI'llill!.! the llltllllll'l' and l'atp of its spI'pad illtO !!I'asslnllds Oil adjU('Pllt Ilpland':ll'pas, ObSl'l'l'ntiom;I'('('ol'(l('<l hy (iriflit"ll;': U7. ,!8) alld Thol'nbeL' (,1.'7) inrlieat:p that thl' spl'l':!d of I'('ln'! 1l1l'S{Plit{, Oil III a11,1' al'pas ill southel'lI Arizolla lila,\" han' IIl'!!llll ahollt !l-\!)(),This dnt-t ('oint'i<1es appl'oxi ll1:l.tely\I'ilh Hit dat<' ginn II)' ",Vagolll'r' (.j()) for the beginlling of wldp-scalp gl'nzi III!' II,\" dOllll'st if' 1i I'('sif)('k, Ul'i flith~ (,3S) likened t'll" spl'pac[ of IlIPsquitl' illld otlll'l' shl'ubby I'pgl'tatioll ill sOlltlil'l'n Al'izolla to thllt '\\'hil'11 had hl'l'lI l'l'pol'tl'd ill Tl'xas by Slllith (4:)), Bray (9), Cook (18), alld.otlHI's.following tlIe adl'Pllt of: Jil'cst:.oC'k;but, stated thaI: th~' !!l'f)\\,th of tIlt' plants I"as ll\udl :-!O\\'PI' ill Al'izona, and hence had gonp IHl'W'ly Ilnllot'i(,l'll.Ul'iflith,,' ('olwlllSiollS ('Ull no\\' be sub f.:(':I.Hfin tt'{1 by ('0111 pal'i II/.!' plw(o!!l'il phs in I\PII Oil (he ~nlll:a.llita.Expel'i mental Hallgp .illsOlltll('l\st{'l'll .