• IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE
• PALATABILITY
• NUTRITIONAL VALUE
• COVER VALUE
• VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES
• OTHER USES AND VALUES
• MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Curlymesquite can be an important forage species in the desert Southwest [25,28,53]. In some parts of central and western Texas, curlymesquite is the most important cattle forage [14]. Horses, cattle, domestic sheep, domestic goats, pronghorn, and deer graze it year-round [36]. Curlymesquite is not highly productive [28].

PALATABILITY:

Curlymesquite is one of the more palatable grass species in the Southwest [53]. Cattle use is high throughout the plant's range [19,23,28,30].

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Curlymesquite is of fair to good nutritional value [20,28,56]. Protein content of curlymesquite in Arizona peaks around 13% in August and reaches a low of nearly 2% in November and December [49].

Nutritional content (%) of immature curlymesquite is as follows [40]:

Nutrient	Content
Ash	15.7
Crude fiber	25.6
Ether extract	2.5
N-free extract	39.0
Protein	17.2
Calcium	1.04
Magnesium	0.31
Phosphorus	0.26
Potassium (%)	0.79

COVER VALUE:

In general, shortgrass prairies featuring curlymesquite are not an important habitat for breeding birds [29].

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

Curlymesquite has good soil binding qualities and grows on most soils, so it has potential as a rehabilitation species [4,37,47,57]. Commercial seed is hard to get, so mulching with hay is the most economical seed source [10,11]. Also, curlymesquite is not drought resistant, so revegetated sites need sufficient irrigation [10,11].

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

No entry

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Curlymesquite responds well to disturbance [33]. Curlymesquite is highly grazing tolerant [3,4,21,33,39,43,57]. Following herbicide trials in huisache and mesquite stands in southern Texas, curlymesquite was the first grass species to reinvade treated areas [6].

Resinbush (Euryops mulitifus), an introduced shrub from Africa, prevents the growth of curlymesquite from up to 5 to 6.5 feet (1.5-2 m) away [37].

Related categories for SPECIES: Hilaria belangeri | Curlymesquite