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

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

It is commonly found growing in chaparral and is spreading into desert and semi arid areas.

[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.