Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
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| Catclaw mimosa in desert shrubland. Image used with permission of George & Eve DeLange. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1990. Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera.
In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/mimacub/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
MIMACUB
SYNONYMS :
Mimosa biuncifera Benth.
Mimosa lindheimeri A. Gray [2,21,23]
NRCS PLANT CODE :
MIACB
COMMON NAMES :
catclaw mimosa
cat-claw mimosa
paired-thorn mimosa
wait-a-minute
wait-a-bit
wait-a-minute bush
TAXONOMY :
The scientific name of catclaw mimosa is Mimosa aculeaticarpa Ortega
var. biuncifera (Benth.) Barneby. It is a legume and a and member of the
bean family (Fabaceae) [44,45].
LIFE FORM :
Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Catclaw mimosa occurs in central and southern Arizona, southern New
Mexico, western and central Texas, and northern Mexico [18,39].
 |
| Distribution of catclaw mimosa. Map courtesy of USDA, NRCS. 2018. The
PLANTS Database.
National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC [38]. [2018, January 25]. |
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES32 Texas savanna
FRES33 Southwestern shrubsteppe
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES38 Plains grasslands
STATES :
AZ NM TX MEXICO
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
7 Lower Basin and Range
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K031 Oak - juniper woodlands
K032 Transition between K031 and K037
K043 Paloverde - cactus shrub
K044 Creosotebush - tarbush
K058 Grama - tobasa shrubsteppe
K059 Trans-Pecos shrub savanna
K085 Mesquite - buffalograss
SAF COVER TYPES :
66 Ashe juniper - redberry (Pinchot) juniper
68 Mesquite
239 Pinyon - juniper
241 Western live oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Catclaw mimosa occurs in many vegetation types, generally as scattered
plants intermixed with numerous other shrubs. It is occasionally the
most abundant shrub. In low elevation desert grassland and shrub-steppe
types, catclaw mimosa is often associated with other shrubby species,
including mesquites (Prosopis spp.), redberry juniper, oneseed juniper
(Juniperus monosperma), allthorn (Koeberlimia spinosa), catclaw acacia
(Acacia greggii), larchleaf goldenweed (Haplopappus laricifolius),
smooth sotol (Dasylirion leiophyllum), Wheeler sotol (D. wheeleri),
lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla), and goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba)
[11,25,36,37]. Catclaw mimosa is a common plant in the lower elevations
of Arizona chaparral. Catclaw acacia and catclaw mimosa sometimes
become abundant on drier, rockier, more open sites in Arizona chaparral
[30]. Catclaw mimosa occurs as scattered individuals in oak, oak-pine,
and evergreen woodlands with an overstory made up of one or more of the
following trees: gray oak (Quercus grisea), Arizona white oak (Q.
arizonica), Emory oak (Q. emoryi), Mohr's oak (Q. mohriana), Mexican
pinyon (Pinus cembroides), pinyon pine (P. edulis), and alligator
juniper (Juniperus deppeana) [12,17,29,40]. Associated shrubs in
woodlands include fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), skunkbush sumac (R.
trilobata), beargrass (Nolina microcarpa, N. erumperus), birchleaf
mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides), Wright silktassel (Garrya
wrightii), yerba-de-pasmo (Baccharis pteronoides), and desert broom
(Baccharis sarothroides) [12,29,40].
Published classification schemes listing catclaw mimosa as a indicator
or dominant are listed below:
Vegetation of the Organ Mountains, New Mexico [12]
Woodland communities and soils of Fort Bayard, southwestern New Mexico [29]
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Livestock seldom browse catclaw mimosa; however, it may be used lightly
if other forage is scarce [20,39]. Livestock eat the pods [10]. Scaled
and Gambel's quail eat the seeds [16]. It is of minor importance as a
browse plant for deer and pronghorn [5,39].
PALATABILITY :
Catclaw mimosa has dense prickles and a tangled growth form which may
account for its relatively low palatability to livestock [10]. The pods
are highly palatable to cattle, and the seeds are highly palatable to
quail [10,16]. In western Texas, the palatability of catclaw mimosa has
been rated good for pronghorn but poor for cattle and sheep [5].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
Catclaw mimosa has a tendency to form thickets, which presumably provide
hiding and thermal cover for a variety of small wildlife species. Quail
use such thickets [34].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Catclaw mimosa shows potential for erosion control. Plants have a
tendency to form thickets which effectively bind soil [24,39].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Catclaw mimosa flowers provide a good source of nectar for honey bees
[39].
This plant has been studied as a source of biomass for the production of
fuels and chemicals. In comparison with 100 other plant species
examined, it yielded substantial amounts of oils, polyphenols, and
hydrocarbons [8].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Catclaw mimosa is moderately resistant to phenoxy herbicides [19].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Catclaw mimosa is a relatively short, straggling, thicket-forming,
deciduous shrub. It is usually not more than 3 feet (0.9 m) tall but
occasionally grows up to about 8 feet (2.4 m) [6,24]. The pubescent,
slender, straight to zig-zagging stems are armed with solitary or
paired, stout, recurved spines [39]. The bipinnately compound leaves
contain 3 to 9 pair of pinnae with 8 to 14 pairs of obtuse, linear to
oblong, 0.04 to 0.17 inch (1.0-4.2 mm) long leaflets [39]. Numerous
pale to whitish flowers occur in globose heads. The fruit is a curved
or straight legume, 0.75 to 1.5 inch (1.9-3.8 cm) long, 0.13 to 0.17
inch (3.2-4.2 mm) wide, and is constricted between the seeds.
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| Catclaw mimosa flowers. Image used with permission of George & Eve DeLange. |
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Catclaw mimosa produces abundant seed. Seeds are encased within small,
narrow pods that split open after ripening [34]. Primary dispersal
agents have not been identified, but seed is probably dispersed by
animals that eat the pods or seeds. Catclaw mimosa seeds exhibit high
germination rates and germinate over a wide range of temperatures [22].
On the High Plains of west Texas, redberry juniper (Juniperus
pinchotii) acts as a nurse plant for catclaw mimosa. The closed canopy
and heavy mulch layer associated with redberry juniper apparently
provides a favorable microenvironment for catclaw mimosa seedling
establishment [28].
Catclaw mimosa sprouts from the root crown following damage to the
aboveground portion of the plant, such as by fire or herbicides [19[.
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Catclaw mimosa occurs on gravelly flats, mesas, and rocky slopes in
desert grass, desert shrub, interior chaparral, pinyon-juniper, open
oak, and pine-oak communities [6,12,24,29,40].
Soils: In western Texas, catclaw mimosa often occupies soils derived
from limestone or igneous rock [34].
Elevation: Elevational ranges are presented below [4,24,34]:
from 2,000 to 5,000 feet (610-1,524 m) in w TX
3,000 to 6,000 feet (914-1,829 m) in AZ
4,300 to 5,600 feet (1,311-1,707 m) in the Rincon Mtns, se AZ
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Catclaw mimosa is a common component of interior chaparral, a vegetation
type considered to be a true climatic climax susceptible to large-scale
burning [6]. This plant's sprouting ability allows it to become a part
of the immediate postfire community. Individual plants may live to be
very old, although the aboveground portion may date back only to the
last fire [33].
Catclaw mimosa is considered an invader of desert and semiarid
grasslands [20,34]. Fire suppression and livestock grazing are thought
to be responsible for the spread of shrubs into what is considered to
have been relatively shrub-free grasslands of the Southwest [41].
Although catclaw mimosa is fire tolerant and a high percentage of plants
survive fire, a combination of frequent fires, droughts, competition,
and browsing by rodents and lagomorphs may have suppressed plants in
presettlement times [41]. Cattle reportedly "devour the pods" [10].
This undoubtedly has aided the spread of catclaw mimosa into grasslands
because seeds are probably scarified as they pass through the digestive
tract and are then deposited in nutrient-rich dung, which aids
germination.
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
The time of flowering for two Southwestern states is presented below:
State Time of Flowering Authority
AZ May - August [24]
TX April - September [34]
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Catclaw mimosa is able to sprout from the root crown following top-kill
by fire [6,20]. Hibbert and others [19] report that catclaw mimosa is
fire tolerant and can rapidly recover by sprouting, even after repeated
burns.
Catclaw mimosa is common in Arizona chaparral. Severe wildfires are
common in this vegetation type as a result of heavy fuel accumulation
and scant early summer rainfall [31]. Fire frequencies are generally
between 20 to 80 or 100 years, although some stands may experience
longer fire-free intervals [6]. Most chaparral species are well adapted
to fire and recover quickly. It takes at least 20 years before enough
fuel accumulates to support a repeat fire, unless the area has been
grass seeded [6].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
taxon may occur by entering the plant name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Fires generally top-kill catclaw mimosa. By itself, it provides little
fuel because of its open growth form and because its small leaves
contribute very little to ground fuels when they drop [25]. However,
the fuel of surrounding plants is often enough to ignite catclaw mimosa
and cause its stems to burn off [25]. Catclaw mimosa commonly occurs in
Arizona chaparral where wildfires are often severe, defoliating all
aboveground vegetation and leaving only charred stems and a layer of ash
over mineral soil [31].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Following top-kill by fire, catclaw mimosa survives by producing
numerous sprouts from the root crown [6,20]. Because plants usually
survive fire, density is generally not affected by burning.
Although catclaw mimosa was not abundant in a study in desert
mountain shrub vegetation in the Guadalupe Mountains, sampling of
several 3- to 7-year-old burns showed that its frequency was greater on
burned than on unburned sites [1].
Rapid regrowth allows plants to fully recover prefire cover within about
5 years [25,32]. Regrowth of top-killed catclaw mimosa plants was
observed following several lightning- and man-caused fires in and near
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Here, top-killed plants
sprouted and grew 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm) in one growing season [25].
Following prescribed spring burns in desert grasslands and oak woodlands
in southeastern Arizona, sprouts of catclaw mimosa regained 58 to 67
percent of plant prefire heights within two growing seasons as
summarized below [3].
Emory oak/Arizona white oak desert grassland
woodland
date sampled mean height of plants mean height of plants
burned area control area burned area control area
inches/cm inches/cm inches/cm inches/cm
Aug 1983 (prefire) 21.8/55.4 17.8/45.4 25.2/63.9 18.7/47.4
Aug 1984 (3 months 8.9/22.6 17.5/44.7 4.9/12.5 11.5/29.2
postfire)
Aug 1985 (15 months 14.6/37.0 16.4/41.7 14.6/37.0 15.8/40.1
postfire)
This study was part of an extensive of body of research on
fire effects in semidesert grassland, oak savanna, and
Madrean oak woodlands of southeastern Arizona. See the
Research Project Summary of this work for more information on
burning conditions, fires, and fire effects on more than 100
species of plants, birds, small mammals, and grasshoppers.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
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SPECIES: Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera
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FEIS Home Page
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