Catclaw Acacia

The catclaw acacia shrub is best known for its thorns which can scratch your arm or grab your shirtsleeve. Because of this, it’s earned the nickname of “wait-a-minute bush.” Unlike mesquite thorns which are straight, catclaw thorns are curved like the claws of a kitten.

Acacia greggii is named for Josiah Gregg whose book Commerce of the Prairies is a portrait of pioneer life on the Santa Fe Trail and northern Mexico in the 1830s and 1840s. Among other accomplishments, Gregg collected plants for what is now the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Several plant species bear his name.