Mimosa nuttallii
Encyclopedia
Mimosa nuttallii, the Catclaw Brier or Sensitive Brier, is a herbaceous perennial legume in the subfamily Mimosoideae. It has a trailing semiwoody vine covered with small recurved prickles that can be painful to bare skin.
The ribbed stems of this plant usually grow to 4 ft. or more and are branched. Plants rarely reach more than 1-2 ft. in height. The frond
-like leaves
are alternate with prickly stalks. The bipinnate leaf blades are divided into 4-9 pairs of small segments, and these are again divided into 8-15 pairs of tiny leaflets. Leaflets are elliptic, glabrous, with a prominent midrib. Like a few other species of Mimosa (such as M. pudica), the leaves fold up when touched or disturbed. It is also said that the roots of M.nuttallii give off an acrid, garlic like smell when disturbed. This may be an additional defense mechanism of the plant.
The tiny flower
s occur in congested bunches. Before they open, they look much like small green bramble fruits. Each individual flower has five minute petals and 8-10 conspicuous stamen
s. When open, the pink-purple stamens form a globelike cluster at the tip of their leafless stalk. Yellow spores can be often be seen highlighting the tips. The globes are about 0.5 to 0.75" across (about 1.3-2 cm). Flowers and fruit
s appear from May to September.
The fruit of the Catclaw Brier is a long, slender, rounded pod that has a covering of dense prickles, typically about 3-7 cm (1.2-2.8 in) long.
Habitat includes disturbed areas of sandy or silty soils, roadsides, grasslands, prairies and forest margins. It is known to be very nutritious for livestock, who will seek it out. On rangeland, its absence can also be a good indicator of overgrazing.
Other common names for this plant include Nuttall's sensitive briar and Shame-boy, a reference to the sensitive foliage that closes upon touch. Former synonyms include Schrankia nuttallii. The species name nuttallii is in honor of Thomas Nuttall
, an English botanist who lived in the United States
for many years.
The ribbed stems of this plant usually grow to 4 ft. or more and are branched. Plants rarely reach more than 1-2 ft. in height. The frond
Frond
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
-like leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are alternate with prickly stalks. The bipinnate leaf blades are divided into 4-9 pairs of small segments, and these are again divided into 8-15 pairs of tiny leaflets. Leaflets are elliptic, glabrous, with a prominent midrib. Like a few other species of Mimosa (such as M. pudica), the leaves fold up when touched or disturbed. It is also said that the roots of M.nuttallii give off an acrid, garlic like smell when disturbed. This may be an additional defense mechanism of the plant.
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s occur in congested bunches. Before they open, they look much like small green bramble fruits. Each individual flower has five minute petals and 8-10 conspicuous stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. When open, the pink-purple stamens form a globelike cluster at the tip of their leafless stalk. Yellow spores can be often be seen highlighting the tips. The globes are about 0.5 to 0.75" across (about 1.3-2 cm). Flowers and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s appear from May to September.
The fruit of the Catclaw Brier is a long, slender, rounded pod that has a covering of dense prickles, typically about 3-7 cm (1.2-2.8 in) long.
Habitat includes disturbed areas of sandy or silty soils, roadsides, grasslands, prairies and forest margins. It is known to be very nutritious for livestock, who will seek it out. On rangeland, its absence can also be a good indicator of overgrazing.
Other common names for this plant include Nuttall's sensitive briar and Shame-boy, a reference to the sensitive foliage that closes upon touch. Former synonyms include Schrankia nuttallii. The species name nuttallii is in honor of Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
, an English botanist who lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for many years.