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Form

Flower

Flower

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Brushy and gravelly limestone areas of the Trans-Pecos play host to fragrant mimosa, which ranges north into New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado and south to Mexico, at an elevation of 1200 to 4600 feet. It is an infrequent visitor into the Plains Country. Slightly zigzag, rigid branches form a rounded shrub bearing fragrant, showy, pink globe flowers with yellow anthers, blooming from spring intermittently through summer. Usually remote prickles are strongly recurved and occur on branches, and may or may not be present on the margins of the yellowish constricted seed pods. In full flower, fragrant mimosa makes an excellent accent plant for ornamental use, in addition to being very drought tolerant and able to take reflected heat. Because of its variability it has at times been called Mimosa texana and Mimosa borealis var. texana. Mimosa means "to mimic". Borealis refers to its northward range. Fragrant mimosa may be grazed by livestock, and suffers from overgrazing.

Plant Habit or Use: small shrub

Exposure: sun
partial sun

Flower Color: pink

Blooming Period: spring
summer

Fruit Characteristics: pod or legume

Height: 3 feet

Width: 3 feet

Plant Character: deciduous

Heat Tolerance: very high

Water Requirements:

Soil Requirements: alkaline

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7

Additional Comments: