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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Mimosa biuncifera | Catclaw Mimosa
 

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BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Mimosa biuncifera | Catclaw Mimosa
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Catclaw mimosa is a relatively short, straggling, thicket-forming, deciduous shrub. It is usually not more than 3 feet (0.9 m) tall but occasionally grows up to about 8 feet (2.4 m) [6,24]. The pubescent, slender, straight to zig-zagging stems are armed with solitary or paired, stout, recurved spines [39]. The bipinnately compound leaves contain 3 to 9 pair of pinnae with 8 to 14 pairs of obtuse, linear to oblong, 0.04 to 0.17 inch (1.0-4.2 mm) long leaflets [39]. Numerous pale to whitish flowers occur in globose heads. The fruit is a curved or straight legume, 0.75 to 1.5 inch (1.9-3.8 cm) long, 0.13 to 0.17 inch (3.2-4.2 mm) wide, and is constricted between the seeds. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Phanerophtye REGENERATION PROCESSES : Catclaw mimosa produces abundant seed. Seeds are encased within small, narrow pods that split open after ripening [34]. Primary dispersal agents have not been identified, but seed is probably dispersed by animals that eat the pods or seeds. Catclaw mimosa seeds exhibit high germination rates and germinate over a wide range of temperatures [22]. On the High Plains of west Texas, redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchottii) acts as a nurse plant for catclaw mimosa. The closed canopy and heavy mulch layer associated with redberry juniper apparently provides a favorable microenvironment for catclaw mimosa seedling establishment [28]. Catclaw mimosa sprouts from the root crown following damage to the aboveground portion of the plant, such as by fire or herbicides [19[. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Catclaw mimosa occurs on gravelly flats, mesas, and rocky slopes in desert grass, desert shrub, interior chaparral, pinyon-juniper, open oak, and pine-oak communities [6,12,24,29,40]. Soils: In western Texas, catclaw mimosa often occupies soils derived from limestone or igneous rock [34]. Elevation: Elevational ranges are presented below [4,24,34]: from 2,000 to 5,000 feet (610-1,524 m) in w TX 3,000 to 6,000 feet (914-1,829 m) in AZ 4,300 to 5,600 feet (1,311-1,707 m) in the Rincon Mtns, se AZ SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Catclaw mimosa is a common component of interior chaparral, a vegetation type considered to be a true climatic climax susceptible to large-scale burning [6]. This plant's sprouting ability allows it to become a part of the immediate postfire community. Individual plants may live to be very old, although the aboveground portion may date back only to the last fire [33]. Catclaw mimosa is considered an invader of desert and semiarid grasslands [20,34]. Fire suppression and livestock grazing are thought to be responsible for the spread of shrubs into what is considered to have been relatively shrub-free grasslands of the Southwest [41]. Although catclaw mimosa is fire tolerant and a high percentage of plants survive fire, a combination of frequent fires, droughts, competition, and browsing by rodents and lagomorphs may have suppressed plants in presettlement times [41]. Cattle reportedly "devour the pods" [10]. This undoubtedly has aided the spread of catclaw mimosa into grasslands because seeds are probably scarified as they pass through the digestive tract and are then deposited in nutrient-rich dung, which aids germination. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : The time of flowering for two Southwestern states is presented below: State Time of Flowering Authority AZ May - August [24] TX April - September [34]

Related categories for Species: Mimosa biuncifera | Catclaw Mimosa

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Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

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