Brush - Range & Pasture - Catclaw Acacia

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Catclaw Acacia

Gregg's Catclaw, Texas Catclaw, Uña de Gato

Acacia greggii

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Thorny, thicket-forming shrub or small tree; legume family (Fabaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; native

Leaf Habit

[PLACEHOLDER]

Typical Height

Usually much smaller than its 30 ft maximum (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Catclaw acacia growing as a rounded, many-branched desert shrub — **Whole Plant** Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Catclaw acacia stem with short, hooked catclaw thorns and small compound leaves — **Thorns and Leaves** Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Catclaw acacia cream-yellow flower spikes among small compound leaves — **Flowers** Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Leaves

Doubly pinnate (twice compound)
4 to 7 small leaflet pairs (Texas A&M)

Thorns

Many thorns shaped like a cat claw, pointing upward
Forms dense, hard-to-cross thickets (Texas A&M)

Flowers

Fragrant, pale white flowers, April to October (Texas A&M)

Pods

Curling, contorted pods that persist July through winter
3 to 5 hard brown seeds per pod (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Catclaw Mimosa

How to tell it apart from catclaw acacia: [PLACEHOLDER]

Blackbrush

How to tell it apart from catclaw acacia: [PLACEHOLDER]

Counter script: "If it is a thicket-forming thorny shrub with curved cat-claw thorns, twice-compound leaves, and twisted pods, it is most likely catclaw acacia."

Where It Grows

Texas

Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Gulf Prairies and Marshes, South Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, High Plains, Trans-Pecos

Oklahoma

[PLACEHOLDER]

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Dry, gravelly mesas with shallow caliche, arroyos, and deep alkali sand; extremely drought tolerant (Texas A&M).

Best Time to Control

Best treatment timing for catclaw acacia: [PLACEHOLDER]. Follow the product label.

Catclaw acacia is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls catclaw acacia.

Treatment Methods

Foliar / Broadcast

Sendero (Corteva) lists Acacia spp.; broadcast rate 1.75 pt per acre (Sendero label)
Individual-plant mix and timing: follow the label

Cut Stump

Cut every stem flat, close to (not below) the soil surface
Brush off soil and sawdust, then spray the cut surface and the sides of the stump right away
Example product: Remedy Ultra (Corteva); Brush Busters lists catclaw acacia for this method
Mix (Brush Busters): Remedy Ultra 15% (19 oz per gallon) in diesel or vegetable oil

Individual Plant vs. Broadcast

Density guidance for this plant: [PLACEHOLDER]
Follow the label for broadcast use

Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.

Sources: Sendero label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-645 (Acacia spp.); Brush Busters: How to Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife); Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands.