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cat's-claw

9.9

A shrub with curved seed pods and shiny black seeds

noun
/kæts klɔ/

: uña de gato

Botanists studying the cat's-claw noted its distinctive curved seed pods and glossy black seeds.

Examples

The cat's-claw in her garden bloomed with clusters of yellow flowers this summer.
In Florida, you can often find the cat's-claw growing wild along sunny roadsides.
The cat's-claw shrub blooms beautifully in spring.
Have you seen a cat's-claw plant before?
In Florida, you can often find the cat's-claw growing wild along sunny roadsides.
The cat's-claw in her garden bloomed with clusters of yellow flowers this summer.
Botanists studying the cat's-claw noted its distinctive curved seed pods and glossy black seeds.

Synonyms

Pithecellobium unguis-cati

vscat's-claw

Specialized

9.9

A bush from Florida and the West Indies with few thorns, curved pods, and shiny black seeds

is the everyday common name rather than the formal scientific label

catclaw

vscat's-claw

9.9

A small upright shrub with curved pointed seed pods that stick to animals

is the written form that includes an apostrophe in many sources

black bead

vscat's-claw

9.9

A shrub from Florida and the Caribbean with white or yellow flowers and shiny black seeds

is the common name focusing on pods and general appearance rather than seed color

Surface Forms

cat's-claw singular

cat's-claws plural

Morphology

cat's-claw = cat + claw (transparent) = cat + claw

The compound directly names the plant for its hooked pods that resemble a cat's claw, a meaning readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

The word cat's-claw comes from the plant's look: its curved, pointed seed pods or hooks look just like a cat's claw, so people named the shrub after that shape.