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Scientific: Senegalia greggii (formerly Acacia greggii)
Common: cat claw senna, cat claw acacia, Texas mimosa, tearblanket, una de gato
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Origin: Northern Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and southern Mojave deserts. It occurs in southern and western Texas, southern New Mexico, southern and central Arizona, southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah, southeastern California, and northern Mexico.

Pronounciation: Sin-a-GAL-ee-a GREG-ee-i

Hardiness zones:
Sunset 12-13
USDA 9-10

Landscape Use: An Arizona desert native that is seldom-seen in our local Phoenix landscapes. This shrub that can be used as a large screen, background, desert accent, barrier, or a small multiple-trunk desert tree if trained and irrigated. Also, cat claw senna is a great shrub for desert restoration projects or to create habitats for native birds and bees.

Form & Character: Upright and rounded. open, airy, informal to wild, desert dry.

Growth Habit: Semi-evergreen to deciduous, woody, broadleaf perennial shrub, moderate grower to 4- to 20-feet tall with greater spread. The ultimate size and vigor of cat claw senna will depend on the amount of supplemental irrigation that it receives.

Foliage/Texture: Small, twice-pinnately compound leaves, well armed with hooked single stipular spines like a 'cat's claw'; medium fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Produces highly fragrant (musty) flowers in a terminal spike, 2.5-inches long, cream to yellow; fruit a twisted bean pod to 4-inches long.

Seasonal Color: Brilliant, creamy yellow flower display during late April to mid May.

Temperature: Tolerant of any temperature regimen that the Sonoran desert climate can give (it is a desert native afterall).

Light: Full sun required, shade intolerant.

Soil: Tolerant

Watering: Give cat claw senna little to no irrigation once established. Use supplemental water to encourage rapid increases in growth and ultimate plant size.

Pruning: Prune only to train as multiple-trunk, small tree. Otherwise, use the withholding of irrigation to control growth rate and eventual size. Wear protective clothing when pruning as this well-armed shrub can fight back!

Propagation: Seed propagated, its hard seed coat necessitates mechanical or chemical seed coat scarification treatments for germination to occur.

Disease and Pests: None

Additional comments: Cat claw senna (acacia) is a nice accent plant when in flower, otherwise it is only marginally ornamental and is best used to occupy a nice discrete, filler, or background spot in a xeric or native landscape setting.

Taxonomic note: The specific epithet refers to botanist Josiah Gregg. Senegalia greggii hybridizes in situ with Senegalia berlandieri.

Ethnobotanical uses: There are many ethnobotanical uses of cat claw senna including edible seed pods.....Meh!! A medicinal tea is made from the fruits, leaves or bark to relieve diarrhea, dysentery, or stomach ulcers. Bread meal is also made from grinding the fruit.