Mimosa aculeaticarpa

[2] The catclaw mimosa is a straggling thicket forming shrub, usually growing to about one metre tall but occasionally double that height.

The twigs are hairy and armed with backward pointing spines that easily catch in clothing.

The fruits are flat pods up to four centimetres long, flattened between the seeds and splitting open when ripe.

[3] In upland areas of west Texas, the redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) acts as a nurse plant for the seedlings.

They benefit from the shade and leaf litter associated with the juniper which seems to provide a favourable microclimate for the establishment of the seedlings.

Mimosa aculeaticarpa - MHNT