Shrubs, erect, 1–3 m, armed. Stems terete, strigose and puberulent; prickles irregular along internodes, straight or recurved. Leaves: stipules widely lanceolate to ovate, lanceolate-ovate, or ligulate, 2–5 mm, usually densely strigose to pubescent or puberulent, rarely glabrescent; petiole 0.2–2 cm; primary rachis prickly and with acicular aculei between pinnae, 1–15(–17) cm; pinnae 4–14 pairs; leaflets 16–40 pairs, blades obliquely linear or linear-oblong, 3–9 × 0.5–2 mm, margins ciliate to setose, 3 or 4 parallel veins prominent abaxially, apex mucronulate or acute to apiculate, surfaces pubescent to strigulose or glabrous abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Peduncles 1.5–5 cm. Inflorescences 80–100-flowered, axillary, globose or subglobose capitula, solitary and in fascicles of 2–4, or in racemiform branches, 10–18 mm diam.; bracts linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 1/4–3/4 corolla length. Pedicels 0 mm. Flowers bisexual and staminate; calyx irregularly laciniate or campanulate, lobes 4, 1/5–1/2 corolla length; corolla pink, strigose or glabrous, lobes 4, 1/4–1/3 corolla length; stamens 8, filaments connate at bases, lilac; ovary sessile, hispid or pubescent; style attenuate at apex; stigma narrowly cupuliform. Legumes sessile or stipitate, straight or curved, oblong, (30–)40–120 × 9–13 mm, not constricted between seeds, valves with (4–)7–25 segments, margin unarmed, apex apiculate or mucronate to cuspidate, faces setose or sparsely strigose and puberulent; stipe 3–7 mm. Seeds (4–)7–25, olive-ochre, oblong-elliptic, 5–6.5 × 2.3–3 × 0.8–1.5 mm, testa smooth, fissural line 90%.

Distribution

s United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa, introduced in tropical Asia.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Mimosa pigra var. asperata, Mimosa pigra var. pigra

Key

1	Stipules densely strigose to pubescent, not striate; pinnae 8–14 pairs; corolla lobes densely strigose; legumes with 15–25 segments, valves and margin densely setose.	Mimosa pigra var. pigra
1	Stipules usually puberulent, rarely glabrescent, striate; pinnae 4–7(or 8) pairs; corolla lobes sparsely strigose or glabrous; legumes with (4–)7–10(–14) segments, valves and margin sparsely strigose and puberulent.	Mimosa pigra var. asperata