Sonoran Catclaw Tree
Acaia occidentalis, Bean Family ( fabaceae ), Sonoran Catclaw Tree. Also called: Tésota.
A moderate sized deciduous tree with Acacia-like ball shaped, cream - white, colored flowers.
An excellent xeriscape garden plant.
Height: About 15 - 25 feet. Can reach 40 feet.
Flowers: Cream White puffballs, on a 2 to 3 inch long stalk, very aromatic, biggest bloom in spring and early summer, then sporadic.
Blooming Time: March to May.
Stems/Trunks/b> White thorns of varying length; typically 1/4 to 1in long and white; thorns are most obvious on young trees, fewer found on mature specimens; young stem growth has reddish color, turning brown to gray-brown and becoming furrowed and scaly.
Leaves: The leaves are gray - green, alternate, semi-evergreen, bipinnately compound, 2 to 4 inches long, with 4 to 6 pairs of major leaflets and 8 to 12 pairs of minor leaflets about ,1 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. They are green to gray - green in color.
Seed Pod: A slender, long pod, 2 - 5 inches long, dark brown, the pod sheath is constricted between the seeds. Flat elliptical seeds inside.
Elevation: 1500 - 4500 Feet.
Habitat: Washes, flats and canyons below 4500'. Sonoran desert of Mexico. It is native of Sonora, Mexico.
Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken At Glendale Xeriscape Botanical Garden. March 13, 2003.
