The impossibly sharp, hooked spines will tug at your clothing, scratch and tear any exposed skin. Later you will cuss a bit as you work to extract the broken off spine tips from your flesh and clothing. The scars of your desert treck will be your sign to friends and co-workers of your outdoorsy nature. Twice compound leaves typically have four sets of 10 leaflets.
Leaves remain on the plant well into drought periods, but are very frost sensitive.
Dense spikes of cream colored flowers emit powerfully sweet fragrance. A common component of the vegetation throughout the Sonoran Desert, especially along washes. After you're through cussing this shrub, stop to observe its beauty and the diverse fauna that thrives on it. Even along the driest washes this shrub often presents a lush appearance with stems densely clothed in feathery leaves. The highly fragant flowers are visited by hoards of beetles, bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies.