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Mimosa

Mimosa dysocarpa

Velvet-pod mimosa, Gatuno

Mimosa biuncifera

Wait-a-minute bush, Catclaw mimosa

 
Leguminosae – Pea family

Description

Mimosa dysocarpa is a 3-6 foot high perennial bush.  The plant’s thorns are spaced alternately along its branches.  The smaller stems are distinctive in that they are 5-ridged.  The leaves are doubly compound; they are composed of 5-10 sets of primary leaflets and 6-12 sets of smaller secondary leaflets.  The pink to rose-colored flowers form in cylinder-like spikes and are about an inch long.  With age, the flowers become lighter in color giving them a distinctive 2-toned appearance.  The 1-2 inch long seedpods contain numerous light brown seeds.  The plant is called Velvet pod mimosa because the seedpods (and stems) are covered with fine appressed hairs making them velvety to the touch.

Mimosa biuncifera is also between 3-6 feet tall but occasionally it becomes larger, particularly if it has access to moister soils.  It is a many-branched shrub that can grow in dense or open groupings.  The branches have 2 recurved thorns per node, unlike Catclaw acacia, which has alternating thorns along its stems.  The leaves are bipinnate; the primary leaflets are composed of 4-7 sets, secondary leaflets have 6-13 sets.  The small ball-like flower clusters are typically cream-colored, but occasionally are pink or lavender.  The reddish-brown pods have weak thorns on their margins.  The seeds are smooth, dark brown, and almost a ¼-inch long.

Distribution

Look for Mimosa dysocarpa between 4,000-6,500 feet in canyons, along hillsides and slopes from southern Arizona, east to New Mexico and western Texas.  M. dysocarpa prefers upper Desert Grasslands and Oak Woodlands as its primary habitat.  M. biuncifera is found between 3,000-6,000 feet throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and a large extent of Texas.  Look for the plant in middle mountain drainages and along hillsides.

Chemistry

Hydrolyzed and condensed tannins

Medicinal Uses
Use Mimosa like most other southwestern legume shrub-trees.  These plants are mildly astringent due to their tannin content.  Topical preparations are soothing to abraded tissues and scraped skin.  Compounding this effect with Mimosa’s mild antimicrobial qualities makes the plant equally useful in diminishing the chances of superficial cuts becoming infected.  A wash made from Mimosa leaves is also well applied to sunburned skin.  It is soothing and cooling to these inflamed tissues.  As a gargle, Mimosa is useful in astringing bleeding gums and is soothing to canker sores and sore throats.

Indications

Scrapes/cuts/skin abrasions/burns (external)

Mouth sores/sore throats (gargle)

Collection

When Mimosa has fully leafed-out, usually after mid-spring, clip the branch ends from the plant.  Dry these whole, then strip the leaves from the branch ends.  Keep the leaves as medicine.

Preparations and Dosage

Leaf wash/powder/poultice: apply as needed

Leaf infusion: gargle as needed

Cautions

None known.

Other Uses

The dried beans can be cooked and eaten.

Copyright © 2006 by Charles W. Kane

This and additional profiles are found in Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest