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Catclaw Acacia, Acacia greggii

Longhorn Beetle Visits Acacia greggii

This shrub is best known for its thorns which can scratch your arm or grab your shirtsleeve. As opposed to 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.

Catclaw, Acacia greggii
Fabaceae

Catclaw, Acacia Greggii
Fabaceae

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