FloraFinder.com
Home   About Us   Want to Help?   FAQ  
Adv Search   Image Use Biblio

Acacia greggii

 

Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderFabalesLegumes (pea and bean families)
FamilyFabaceaeLegume family (peas and beans)
GenusAcaciaThorny shrubs or trees
SpeciesgreggiiNamed for Josiah Gregg, author, explorer, and amateur naturalist

About plant names...

Catclaw acacia, named for its curved thorns, is a native of the southwestern United States.

Identification: For much of the year, this acacia lacks leaves, so there is little to identify it beyond the thorns. It reaches 30' (9.1 m) in height. When the leaves are present, they are bipinnate—in groups of opposing pairs. Flowers are yellow, in spikes. The fruit is flat, twisted seed pods.

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

Catclaw acacia is also called the Wait-a-minute Tree, since passers-by hooked by these thorns need to extract themselves carefully. By Stan Shebs.

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

Catclaw acacia flower.

Edibility: The foliage is poisonous. However, the beans from this acacia are edible.

Online References:

Acacia greggii on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

Acacia greggii on CalPhotos

Acacia greggii at Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

Acacia greggii on Medicinal Plants of the Southwest

Acacia greggii on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

Acacia greggii description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 5 Feb 2012.

© FloraFinder.com. All rights reserved.


  

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

Acacia greggii (Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

Range:

About this map...