Brush - Range & Pasture - Catclaw Mimosa

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Catclaw Mimosa

Mimosa biuncifera

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Spiny, thicket-forming shrub; legume family (Fabaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; native

Leaf Habit

[PLACEHOLDER]

Typical Height

Up to 8 ft (Texas A&M)

Photo Gallery

Catclaw mimosa shrub with zigzag branches and fine compound leaves — **Whole Plant** Photo: Patrick Alexander, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Catclaw mimosa pink and white puffball flowers with feathery leaves — **Flowers** Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Catclaw mimosa flat reddish pods on thorny branches — **Pods** Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Spines

Stout, upward-pointing spines, flat at the base
Generally paired at each node (Texas A&M)

Stems

Flexible, angled stems that change direction at each node (Texas A&M)

Leaves

Long, crowded leaves made of many hairless opposite leaflets (Texas A&M)

Flowers & Pods

Fragrant, rounded yellow or pink to whitish flowers in spring
Linear, curved or straight bean pods by September (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Catclaw Acacia

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

Counter script: "If it is a spiny shrub under 8 ft with paired, flat-based spines, zigzag stems, and rounded pink-to-white flower heads, it is most likely catclaw mimosa."

Where It Grows

Texas

Mainly dry hills and mesas in Central and West Texas (Texas A&M)
Ecoregions (Texas A&M): Cross Timbers and Prairies, Edwards Plateau, Rolling Plains, High Plains, Trans-Pecos

Oklahoma

[PLACEHOLDER]

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Dry hills and mesas (Texas A&M). Soil detail: [PLACEHOLDER]

Best Time to Control

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

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

Treatment Methods

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 mimosa for this method
Mix (Brush Busters): Remedy Ultra 15% (19 oz per gallon) in diesel or vegetable oil

Foliar and Basal Bark Spray

Labeled Corteva non-restricted options for these methods: [PLACEHOLDER]
Rates and mixes: follow the label

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: Brush Busters: How to Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife); Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands.