Acacia greggii is a species of Acacia native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from the extreme south of Utah (where, at 37°10' N it is the northernmost naturally occurring Acacia species anywhere in the world) south through southern Nevada, southeast California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas to Baja California, Sinaloa and Nuevo León in Mexico.
Common names include Catclaw Acacia, Catclaw Mesquite, Gregg's Catclaw, Devil's Claw, Paradise Flower, Wait-a-minute Tree, and Wait-a-bit Tree; these names mostly come from the fact that the tree has numerous hooked thorns with the shape and size of a cat's claw, that tend to hook onto passers-by; the hooked person must stop ("wait a minute") to remove the thorns carefully to avoid injury or shredded clothing. (Note: "Cat's Claw" is also used to refer to Uncaria tomentosa, a woody vine found in the tropical jungles of South and Central America)
The patronym "greggii" refers to Josiah Gregg, author, explorer, and amateur naturalist of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.
Read more about Acacia Greggii: Ecology, Description, Ethnobotany, Some Chemical Compounds Found in Acacia Greggii, Botanical Varieties, Gallery