Catclaw mimosa is a relatively short, straggling, thicket-forming, deciduous shrub.
Numerous pale to whitish flowers occur in globose heads. Catclaw mimosa produces abundant seed. Primary dispersal agents have not been identified, but seed is probably dispersed by animals that eat the pods or seeds. This plant's sprouting ability allows it to become a part of the immediate postfire community. This undoubtedly has aided the spread of catclaw mimosa into grasslands because seeds are probably scarified as they pass through the digestive tract and are then deposited in nutrient-rich dung, which aids germination.