Figure 6. Catclaw mimosa (Mimosa pigra) is a sprawling, prickly shrub that was first identified in Florida in 1953 and now occurs on 1,000 acres of river floodplain, swamp forest, and lake margins in Broward, Palm Beach, Marin, St. Lucie, and Highlands counties. It is listed as a noxious weed by FDACS and USDA.