The mesquite is often thought to have been the most important plant to the southwest Indian. Its beans were ground into a meal and its wood was used for housing, burning, throwing sticks, bows and arrows, and its fibers for basketry.
The screw-bean (Prosopis pubescens) is a closely related species characteristic of the desert washes. It is similar in size and general appearance to the mesquite, but it can be easily distinguished by its tightly coiled seed pod.