Sonoran Catclaw Acacia
Senegalia occidentalis
Family: Fabaceae
OTHER COMMON NAMES
Spanish: uña de gato
CHARACTERISTICS
A large shrub or small winter-deciduous tree, with catclaw-like thorns. Sonoran cat claw usually grows to about 20 feet tall. The spring bloom flush is aromatic and gorgeous—round aromatic catkin flowers are white with hints of copper within the catkins. The pods that follow are flat, constricted between seeds, and usually blushing with a reddish tinge.
LANDSCAPE USE
Small shade tree
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full sun, can tolerate part sun when young
WATER low to moderate, faster growing with more water
SOIL not too picky, but prefers well-drained
HARDINESS hardy to 15°F
BASIN bottom to middle zone
CONTAINER not recommended
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little, prune thorny branches from high traffic areas
Photo by Sky Jacobs, SEINET
Senegalia occidentalis on iNaturalist
ECOLOGY
The flowers are extra nectar-rich and attract a load of butterflies, bees, and more. Butterfly larval food plant for the Mexican yellow (Eurema mexicana), the Mimosa yellow butterfly (Eurema nise), the Reakirt’s blue (Echinargus isola), and the marine blue (Leptotes marina). Moth larval food plant for Hubbard’s small silkmoth (Sphingicampa hubbardi), tricolor buckmoth (Hemileuca tricolor), black witch moth (Ascalapha odorata), mesquite stinger flannel moth (Norape tenera), naval orange worm moth (Amyelois transitella), the merry melipotis moth (Melipotis jucunda) and many others. Attracts substrate-insectivorous birds. Some species consume seeds as well. Flowers attract all sorts of nectar-eating insects. Nice habitat for birds (the dense, thorny branches protect animals hiding within).
ETHNOBOTANY
Wood used in construction. Whole plant used in medicine, mostly as teas. The young pods can be eaten (avoid the mature pods which contain a cyanogenic glycoside, called prunasin) usually ground up into a meal, often with fats added (the Seri added sea lion oil).
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
This species is native to Sonora, Mexico, usually in arroyo margins and mesquite bosque.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
Formerly known as Acacia occidentalis.
This species is in the Fabaceae, the legume family. Senegalia has 226 species worldwide.
Acacia is from Greek akakie taken from ake or akis, -a sharp point. The genus Senegalia is a derivation of Senegal in Africa. Occidentalis means of/pertaining to/connected with/coming from the west, referencing other species of Senegalia in the southwest, many of which occur east of Sonora.
These plants get to be significant trees after some time. Photo by Pedro Nájera Quezada, iNaturalist
Red buds open up into round, puffball flowers. Photo by Sue Carnahan, iNaturalist
Legume pods follow the flowers. Photo by Opuntia Cadereytensis, iNaturalist