Acacia greggii A.Gray

  • Authority

    Isley, Duane. 1973. Leguminosae of the United States: I. Subfamily. Mimosoideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (1): 1-152.

  • Family

    Mimosaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Acacia greggii A.Gray

  • Description

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    Species Description - Thicket-forming, glabrate or puberulent shrubs or small trees, .5-3 m, exceptionally to 6 m, usually abundantly armed with curved internodal prickles, fragrant in bloom. Leaves small, usually short-petioled, largely clustered (2-3) from spurs and spur blades with petioles 2-5 mm; leafstalk gland solitary, between lower pinnae, usually capitate; pinnae (l-)2-3(-4) pairs; leaflets 4-6 pairs, obovate to elliptic-oblong, 3-6 mm, moderately reticulate, with midvein displaced. Flowers clustered, 2(-3), loose or dense, cream-yellow spikes or racemes, 2.5-5 cm, arising with leaves from spurs and exceeding the leaves. Legume oblong, flattened, usually strongly curved or twisted, 5-10 cm long, 1-1.5(-2.5) cm wide; margins straight, undulate or constricted between some of the seeds; valves coriaceous, glabrous, brownish and glaucous, little expressed over seeds. Seeds circular, ca 5-7 mm diam.

  • Discussion

    Acacia greggii is common and known to anyone who strays away from roads into Texas ranchland (though that knowledge may be primarily limited to its role as a physical impediment to ambulatory progress). It is an important spring browse plant (Graham, 1941), and probably is a significant bee species. It has been tried in cultivation as an ornamental and is enumerated in standard references as Bailey and Bailey (1941). In the latter role, the species has little to recommend it, however, unless an impenetrable, spiny hedge is desired. The catclaw acacia exhibits foliage dimorphism. The leaves clustered on spurs are small, very short petioled and usually have 1-2 pairs pinnae. Foliage on new growth is larger, the leaves often well petioled (to 1 cm) with up to 3 pairs pinnae.

  • Distribution

    S Texas to s California. Novelty in cultivation. Catclaw. Mexico.

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