Betty Sue Bechtel, age 9, of Montgomery, Ala., for her question:

HOW TALL DOES THE MESQUITE TREE GROW?

Mesquite is a tree and a thorny shrub that grows in dry climates. You’ll find it in the southwestern United States, Mexico, the West Indies, parts of western South America and even in the Hawaiian Islands, where it was brought by missionaries.

The plant needs little water and it grows well in deserts too

hot and dry for other plants. When it grows in every dry country, it doesn’t get to be much larger than a low shrub.

However, when the mesquite receives plenty of water, it will grow into a large tree that can be 60 feet high with a trunk three feet across.

People use the wood of the mesquite for fuel, to make fence posts and even to erect buildings. The seeds of the plant, which look very much like beans, serve as food for cattle and horses and were once an important food for the Indians of the Southwest.

Two kinds of gum taken from mesquite are used to make candies and Mexican dyes.