Acacia greggii A. Gray var. arizonica Isely
Acacia greggii A. Gray var. greggii
Senegalia greggii (A. Gray) Britton & Rose
Catclaw, devil’s claw, catclaw acacia
Catclaw acacia, named for its curved thorns, is a native of the southwestern United States.
Plants: For much of the year, this acacia lacks leaves, so there is little to identify it beyond the thorns—lots of hooked prickles. It is 33–49′ (10–15 m) in height. The trunk is 8–12″ (20–30 cm) in diameter.
Leaves: When the leaves are present, they are bipinnate—in groups of 1-3 opposing pairs. Each pinna is ¾–1″ (2–3 cm), with ten to 18 leaflets, each 1/16–3/16″ (3–6 mm) long. They are gray-green.
Flowers: Flowers are multiple cream-colored, fragrant spikes, 2″ long ⨉ ½″ in diameter (5.1 ⨉ 1.3 cm). Flowers appear from April to October.
Fruits: Flat, twisted seed pods up to 6″ (15 cm) long. Seeds are round and ⅛–¼″ (5–7 mm) in size.
Habitats: Chaparral communities, arroyos, along streams, stream banks and washes; sandy and rocky soils, in alkaline soils. It favors elevations of 300–5000′ (91–1524 m).
Catclaw acacia is also called the wait-a-minute tree, since passers-by hooked by these thorns need to extract themselves carefully. By Stan Shebs. 
Catclaw acacia flower. 
Edibility: The foliage is poisonous. However, the beans from this acacia are edible.
Medical:
Online References:
Acacia greggii A. Gray
Acacia greggii A. Gray var. arizonica Isely
Acacia greggii A. Gray var. greggii
Acacia greggii A. Gray var. arizonica Isely
Acacia greggii A. Gray var. greggii
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (15 × 11 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Fabales | Legumes (pea and bean families) |
| Family | Fabaceae | Legume family (peas and beans) |
| Genus | Senegalia | From Senegal |
| Species | greggii | Named for Josiah Gregg, author, explorer, and amateur naturalist |
Senegalia greggii description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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