Prosopis velutina, or Velvet Mesquite, is a small to medium-sized tree that is native to the Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan Deserts, growing at elevations below 4,000 to 5,000 feet. It adapts well to a dry, desert climate, and can grow larger in areas with a lot of water, smaller in open, dry grasslands. Its roots extend as deep as 175 ft into the earth, allowing it to access water that other plants can't. The leaves are about 3–6 in long, while the flowers are yellow and bloom in dense cylindrical clusters in the spring, after all danger of frost has passed. Velvet Mesquite plays a crucial role in the desert ecosystem, serving as food and shelter for a variety of animals, fixing nitrogen in the soil, and acting as a nurse tree to young cacti. The plant's seeds, leaves, bark, and wood were used by Native Americans for food, medicine, baskets, fabrics, and building materials. Despite it being considered an invasive species or noxious weed in several states due to overgrazing by cattle, it covers only a small fraction of the area it covered before human settlement.