US Plant Patent PP15303
Cooper
South American thornless mesquite ‘Cooper’
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Patent expired September 13, 2023. This plant is in the public domain — anyone may propagate and sell it.
Twenty years from the filing date would end on September 10, 2023. This patent earned 3 days of term adjustment for delay at the Patent Office, which is why it runs longer.

The record
- Patent number
- PP15303
- Filed
- September 10, 2003
- Granted
- November 9, 2004
- Expires
- September 13, 2023
- Inventor
- COOPER KAREN B
Abstract
A new and distinct variety of South American Argentine ornamental mesquite which is particularly characterized by its rapid growth rate, total absence of thorns, large stature, distinctive foliage pattern and ability to thrive in a desert environment.
Show the legal claimThe single numbered claim as granted — the legal text that defines what this patent covers.
I claim: 1. A new and distinct variety of Prosopis Alba tree named ‘Cooper’, substantially as illustrated and described, characterized by a complete lack of thorns, rapid growth in girth and height, exceptional strength, ability to withstand severe weather conditions including wind, hail and freezing temperatures with no apparent damage, a resistance to stem canker and root rot, and its distinctive foliage as described herein.
Read the full patent: US Plant Patent PP15303 in full — the complete specification, every figure, and the file history.