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Knight, Marilyn McBroom

Senegalia�roemeriana

Senegalia�roemeriana�(Scheele) Britton & Rose

Roemer Acacia, Roemer's Acacia, Roundflower Catclaw, Round-flowered Catclaw, Catclaw Acacia, Catclaw

Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonym(s): Acacia malacophylla, Acacia roemeriana

USDA Symbol: SERO

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

This is a prickly, 3-7 ft., round-topped shrub or, more rarely, a small tree to 20 ft. with spreading branches. Branchlets with scattered straight or recurved prickles. Leaves divided into numerous leaflets 1/2 inch long or less. Fragrant, cream to greenish flowers 3/8 inch wide arising mostly from the axils of the leaves are followed by a narrow, leathery fruit. Fruit a brown to reddish, flat, curved pod up to 4 inches long and 1 1/8 inches broad. Young trunks are covered with smooth bark, becoming scaly with age.

Twigs are armed with short, curved prickles; hence the common name, Catclaw.

From the Image Gallery

13 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub , Tree
Root Type: Tap
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Fruit Type: Legume
Size Notes: Up to about 20 feet tall when growing as a tree. Much shorter when shrub-like.
Fruit: Brown

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Green
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AZ , CA , NM , NV , TX , UT
Native Distribution: C. TX to s. Trans-Pecos; adjacent Mex.
Native Habitat: Hillsides, Slopes, Chaparral & brush country

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Gravelly, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based, Rocky soils.
Conditions Comments: Good honey plant.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Showy, Attractive, Blooms ornamental
Use Wildlife: Flowers a source of honey. Cover, Nesting site, Nectar-bees, Nectar-butterflies, Nectar-insects
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Fragrant Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Austin Chapter - Austin, TX
NPSOT - Williamson County Chapter - Georgetown, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 1065 Collected Apr 8, 1996 in Bexar County by Mike Fox
NPSOT 1070 Collected Apr 29, 1996 in Bexar County by Mike Fox
NPSOT 1048 Collected Apr 16, 1993 in Bexar County by Lottie Millsaps
NPSOT 0752 Collected Apr 10, 1994 in Comal County by Mary Beth White

4 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Bibliography

Bibref 298 - Field Guide to Texas Trees (1999) Simpson, B.J.
Bibref 354 - Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country (1981) Lynch, D.
Bibref 995 - Native Landscaping from El Paso to L.A. (2000) Wasowski, S. and A. Wasowski
Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Bibref 297 - Trees of Central Texas (1984) Vines, Robert A.
Bibref 286 - Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Webref 1 - Texas Native Shrubs (2002) Texas A&M University Agriculture Program and Leslie Finical, Dallas Arboretum

Additional resources

USDA: Find Senegalia roemeriana in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Senegalia roemeriana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Senegalia roemeriana

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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