Senegalia greggii – “Catsclaw Acacia”

Also Known As: Catclaw Mesquite, Gregg’s Catclaw, Catclaw, Devil’s Claw, Tear (as in rip) Blanket, Paradise Flower, Wait-a-Minute Bush
Other Botanical Names: Acacia greggii
Family: Legume, Bean (Fabaceae)
Form: Deciduous shrub or small tree
Habitat: Washes
Leaves: Twice pinnately-compound
Translation: “Senegalia” refers to the country of Senegal in Africa, where many trees of this genus are native; “greggii” is named for Josiah Gregg (1806-1850), an unpopular trader, author, gold-seeker and naturalist; “Acacia” is derived from the Greek word for “thorn,” which this plant has in abundance; though “Senegalia” is the most up-to-date genus name, “Acacia” is much more commonly used.
Notes: “Catsclaw” refers to the curved shape of the thorns (pictured in inset photo). “Wait-a-Minute Bush” is a comic epithet quoting the typical hiker whose clothing or flesh gets hooked by these thorns while passing by. Honey from its flowers is considered to be of high quality.
The seeds germinate better when scarified; that is, when the outer coat is broken open, which could seem to be a disadvantage. Some biologists thus believe that the plant is an “evolutionary anachronism,” left over from a time, thousands of years ago, when it shared habitat with large mammals, now extinct, who ate the seeds and scarified them with their teeth and in their digestive systems, and then “planted” them with a healthy portion of fertilizer when they defecated. For example, ancient dung from the Shasta Ground Sloth found in dry caves contains Cat’s Claw Acacia seeds. In the current day, the seeds of other species of Senegalia in Africa are scarified by elephants, rhinos and giraffes.
Other biologists believe that needing scarification is an advantage simply because it prevents the seeds from germinating until enough water is available for them to grow, which could happen when their hulls are broken open by impacts on rocks during floods in washes, which are the tree’s habitat. Scarification can also result from the foraging activities of small mammals, namely rodents, and the seasonal cycles of temperature and moisture.
Native American Uses: The mature seeds contain a potentially poisonous compound related to cyanide so the Native Americans avoided them at this stage. The immature seeds, however, were safe and the Cahuilla, Havasupai, Pima and Seri ate them in a variety of ways, fresh and raw, and ground into meal for porridge, cakes, and bread. The Kumeyaay fed them to domesticated animals.
The Havasupai made baskets and whisk brooms for cleaning metates (giant mortars for grinding seeds). The Tohono O’odham used branches and twigs for basketry, weaving and making tools to harvest cactus fruit, clean animals skins and beat hides. They also adorned their heads with branches to disguise themselves as deer while hunting and the women wore perfumed sachets of the dried buds and flowers. The Cahuilla used the wood for construction material and fuel. The Pima built fences, made cradle frames and bows, and used it for fuel.
Animal Associations: Spiny thickets provide protective shelter to small animals such as the Desert Cottontail rabbit and Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, which also forage on the leaves and twigs. Pods are eaten by the White-Tailed Antelope Ground Squirrel. Winter forage for the Desert Bighorn sheep. The Verdin, an insectivorous bird, makes nests in the highest branches.
Flowers, which are very fragrant, attract bees (including Honey Bees., Hoverflies, wasps and butterflies. Larval food plant for Hubbard’s Silk Moth. Nectar-producing glands on its axils (the angle where the leaves meet their stems) are a food source for ants, who, some botanists believe, protect the plant from other insects. Common host of Desert Mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum).