Prosopis; Print; Prosopis is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family; Fabaceae. It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas; Africa; Western Asia; and South Asia. They often thrive in arid soil and are resistant to drought; on occasion developing extremely deep root systems. Their wood is usually hard; dense and durable. Their fruits are pods and may contain large amounts of sugar. The generic name means "burdock" in late Latin and originated in the Greek language.