Senegalia greggii
Senegalia greggii
Safety & Hazards
Plant parts contain prunasin, a poisonous cyanogenic glycoside[1]..
Cultivation Details
Senegalia greggii is a plant of arid and semi-arid regions of southwestern N. America, where it is found at elevations up to 1,800 metres. It grows in areas where summers can vary from warm to hot with highs ranging fom 21 - 49°c and winter temperatures can fall as low as -10°c in some areas whilst in others they do not go below zero. Rainfall can vary from as little as 65mm a year in the most arid regions up to 500mm[2]. The plant requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. The desert soils typical of catclaw acacia habitat are low in organic matter, can be slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, are often shallow (less than 30.5cm) deep), and commonly contain calcium carbonate in the upper 2 metres of soil. The caliche layer can be thick and impenetrable[2]. Although it is usually top-killed, the plant generally resprouts very freely following a fire[2]. Catclaw acacia is highly adapted to harsh desert conditions. A deep root system, high water use efficiency, high photosynthetic capacity, and use of the C3 photosynthetic pathway allow catclaw acacia to thrive in harsh desert climates. Catclaw acacia roots greater than 5.5 metres deep have been recorded in southeastern Arizona. On a wash site in the Gold Valley of the Mohave Desert, 55% of the total catclaw acacia dry weight was root[2]. Plants are known to live for at least 120 years[2]. Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[2].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a warm greenhouse[3].The dried seed of most, if not all, members of this genus has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the seed in Spring in a greenhouse. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a sunny position in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Acacia seeds that have matured fully on the bush and have been properly dried have a hard seed coat and can be stored in closed containers without deterioration for 5 - 10 years or more in dry conditions at ambient temperatures. It is best to remove the aril, which attracts weevils and can lead to moulds forming. The arils are easilyremoved by placing the seeds in water and rubbing them between the hands, then drying the seeds and winnowing them[4]. When growing catclaw acacia seed in containers, a tall container is recommended to house the rapidly developing root system[2]. The root length of catclaw acacia seedlings was greater than 60cm 4 - 5 months after planting on watered sites[2]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Senegalia+greggii>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, — Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. · 2014 ↩︎A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
- [2]Fire Effects Information System — http://www.feis-crs.org/feis/ ↩︎An on-line information site with comprehensive information on over 1,100 species of plant. Mainly developed to supply information on the effects of fire on plants and animals, it also contains a wealth of other information on the plants
- [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
- [4]Potential of Australian Acacias in combating hunger in semi-arid lands — Rinaudo A.; Patel P.; Thomson L.A.J. · 2002 ↩︎
- [5]Plants of New Zealand. — Laing. and Blackwell. · Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd · 1907 · ISBN - ↩︎An old flora of New Zealand in a readable style. Some details of plant uses.