My favorite trees are mesquite. Growing up in Patagonia for the first six years of my life, mesquite trees played an integral part of my childhood. We lived next door to my grandmother Quiroga on Santa Rita Avenue, where were two prominent mesquite trees in that canyon, one in front of our house and one between my grandmother’s house and our house.
As you may know, mesquite wood can be used for cooking, heating, fencing, eating, playing and furniture building. My favorite food was the tree sap from the mesquite which we called “chu ke ta.” When it hardened, it created a chewy candy. From my grandmother I learned a few other Opata words which included “wi ko” for a lizard and “chi wi” for a turkey, both of which used the mesquite tree for shelter.
Seventy years ago this tree was huge and it remains so. A silent sentinel to watch over us. At one time an elderberry tree grew alongside it and almost reached the same height. My grandmother would say that this was the way the elderberry trees would grow in Sonora, alongside mesquites.
This tree growing near my grandmother’s chicken coop (back then) was measured by Ken Morrow and me recently. These are the measurements that we recorded: 98″ girth of the tree trunk at 54″ from the ground, 39 feet in height, a spread of 58 and 52 feet for an average of 55 feet. The composite score tabulated to 151 points.
This score pales in comparison to the champion velvet mesquite of Arizona which was given a score of 257 points by the Arizona Magnificent Tree Registry, which has registered many champion trees hailing from Santa Cruz County. This national champion velvet mesquite had a girth more than double to our local tree, but otherwise was pretty close to our tree in height and spread.
A few years ago, I dedicated a tree to each of my grandmothers in Doc Mock Park when the first 76 trees were planted. Without any input from me, both trees are mesquite.
Previously in “Great Trees of Eastern Santa Cruz County”:
“The Cottonwood at the Lochiel Schoolhouse” by Angie Soto Jessup
“A Most Magnificent Cottonwood in Canelo” by Bill Steen
“Elgin’s Movie Star Cottonwood” by Sue Downing
“The Wise Old Emory Oak of Mowry” by Perin McNelis
“A Pleistocene Juniper” by Jim Koweek
“The Leaning Pine of Duquesne” by Bekki Jaynes
“The Hollow Tree of Harshaw Townsite” by Cassina Farley
“The Mexican Blue Oak of Sonoita Creek” by Vince Pinto
Do you know a great tree? Submit photos (or artwork!) and text about your favorite tree to prtadast@gmail.com. It can be any tree on public or private property in Eastern Santa Cruz County. (You don’t have to disclose the tree’s exact location unless you want to.) Tell us what makes the tree great: maybe it’s the tree’s size, shape or age; or its leaf color; or the animals and insects who inhabit it; or the special events or family traditions associated with it; or perhaps something more personal. Whatever it is, share it with us. Let’s celebrate our area’s natural splendor and heritage!