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The genus Prosopis has 44 recognised species. They
are native to America, from western North America to Patagonia
(40 species), and southwest Asia and Africa (4 species). Identification
of species is often very difficult, even for specialists.
This is at least in part due to hybridisation and introgression,
and because of environmentally-induced phenological variation.
There are at least four mesquite species and several hybrids
recorded from Australia. Identifications are based on morphological
characters, but their relationship to other populations throughout
the world will almost definitely require genetic analyses.
A guide to identifying mesquite species in Australia is given
in the Mesquite Best Practice Manual and van Klinken and Campbell
(2001).
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