Mimosa dysocarpa

Botanical Name

Mimosa dysocarpa Bentham

Common Name(s)

  • velvet-pod mimosa

Synonyms

Legume Clades

Caesalpinioideae , Mimosoid Clade , Core Mimosoids , Mimosa Clade , Mimosa

Native Geographic Range

  • Southwestern North America

IUCN Status

Growth Form

shrub

Cultivation Status in AZ

Native

Description

Drought- and cold-deciduous shrubs with spreading stems to 5 ft (1.5 m) high. The bark is smooth with brown bark and twigs armed with prickles. Leaves are bipinnate with 5--11 pairs of pinnae and 6--14 pairs of leaflets per pinna. The flowers are dark pink and are produced in spike-like inflorescences along the upper ends of the stems in summer. The flowers fade to pale whitish pink.

Habitat

Distributed from Arizona to western Texas and in areas of northwestern Mexico. The plants are found primarily in grasslands and oak woodland, thornscrub, and tropical dry forest in various habitats.

Uses

None reported.

Horticulture

Velvet-pod mimosa is occasionally cultivated for its showy flowers. It can be planted as an informal barrier. Due to the prickles and spreading habit, it should be carefully sited. The plants do well in rocky soil and can be planted on slopes or banks. Supplemental irrigation is necessary in desert regions. Growth rate is moderate. The stems are hardy to at least 10° F (-12° C). Litter is minimal.