Common Name: catclaw mimosa

Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Tree

General: Shrub or small tree 0.6-2 m with paired recurved thorns at the nodes.

Leaves: Twice pinnate leaves with 4-7 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-13 pairs of leaflets 2 mm long.

Flowers: Capitate cluster about 15 mm broad, pink or white.

Fruits: Pod 4 mm wide, curved, valves not jointed, with marginal prickles.

Ecology: Grows in thickets on hills and canyon slopes and along washes from 3,000-6,000 ft (1067-1981 m).

Distribution: AZ, NM, TX; south to s MEX.

Ethnobotany: Pods of this plant were ground into a meal.

Etymology: Mimosa comes from Latin mimus, meaning mime, while aculeaticarpa refers to the spines and biuncifera refers to their being paired.

Synonyms: Mimosa biuncifera, Mimosa acanthocarpa, Acacia acanthocarpa

Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015