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National Butterfly Center

Argemone aenea (Golden Pricklypoppy):
Usually larger flowers with translucent lemonade-yellow petals that are usually held more erect (flowers appear more "cupped")
More numerous reddish filaments in the center of the flower

Argemone mexicana (Mexican Pricklypoppy):
Usually smaller flowers with opaque bold-yellow petals that are usually held less erect (flowers appear more like a shallow bowl)
Less numerous yellow filaments in the center of the flower

Eisenhower Park.

Would you like to learn how to reliably distinguish between the three most common shrubby Mimosa species in Texas? Use the guidelines below.

M. borealis (Pink Mimosa/Fragrant Mimosa):
Mature plant usually 2 to 4 feet in height, rarely taller
Single straight or slightly recurved prickles occurring randomly along the stems
Branches are straight from leaf node to leaf node
Growth habit largely erect
Bark usually light gray or straw-colored
Typically 1 to 3 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 3 to 7 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences pink
Individual tiny flowers have separate petals (requires magnification)
Seedpods have an elongated stalk and are usually unarmed

M. texana (Texas Mimosa):
Mature plant usually at least 4 feet in height (unless growing in harsh rocky conditions), often becoming 6 to 8 feet in height with age
Single recurved prickles occurring below leaf nodes
Branches have a zigzag habit from leaf node to leaf node
Pronounced lateral growth habit; arching stems
Bark usually dark reddish brown in color
Typically 1 to 5 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 3 to 9 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences can range from pink to white
Individual tiny flowers have united petals (requires magnification)
Seedpods lack an elongated stalk and are armed along the margins
Seedpods mostly nearly straight and fairly broad, with only minor constrictions between each seed.

M. aculeaticarpa (Catclaw Mimosa):
Mature plant comparable in size to M. texana
Paired recurved prickles located at leaf nodes (rarely prickles borne singly immediately below leaf nodes)
Branches have a zigzag habit from leaf node to leaf node
Pronounced lateral growth habit; arching stems
Bark usually reddish brown in color
Typically 3 to 9 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 8 to 17 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences white
Seedpods lack an elongated stalk and are armed along the margins
Seedpods narrow and curved, with significant constrictions between each seed.

An aside: Virtually all of the plants sold at native plant nurseries in Texas as "Mimosa borealis/Pink Mimosa/Fragrant Mimosa" are actually Mimosa texana. Yes, even your favorite/most trusted plant nursery, it's a nearly universal case of mistaken identity.

Distinguishing M. borealis from M. texana:
https://www.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/digflora/mimosa/mimosa-dif.html

Distinguishing M. aculeaticarpa from M. texana:
https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/Mimosa/M_biuncif.html

Windmill Run Park

Would you like to learn how to reliably distinguish between the three most common shrubby Mimosa species in Texas? Use the guidelines below.

M. borealis (Pink Mimosa/Fragrant Mimosa):
Mature plant usually 2 to 4 feet in height, rarely taller
Single straight or slightly recurved prickles occurring randomly along the stems
Branches are straight from leaf node to leaf node
Growth habit largely erect
Bark usually light gray or straw-colored
Typically 1 to 3 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 3 to 7 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences pink
Individual tiny flowers have separate petals (requires magnification)
Seedpods have an elongated stalk and are usually unarmed

M. texana (Texas Mimosa):
Mature plant usually at least 4 feet in height (unless growing in harsh rocky conditions), often becoming 6 to 8 feet in height with age
Single recurved prickles occurring below leaf nodes
Branches have a zigzag habit from leaf node to leaf node
Pronounced lateral growth habit; arching stems
Bark usually dark reddish brown in color
Typically 1 to 5 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 3 to 9 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences can range from pink to white
Individual tiny flowers have united petals (requires magnification)
Seedpods lack an elongated stalk and are armed along the margins
Seedpods mostly nearly straight and fairly broad, with only minor constrictions between each seed.

M. aculeaticarpa (Catclaw Mimosa):
Mature plant comparable in size to M. texana
Paired recurved prickles located at leaf nodes (rarely prickles borne singly immediately below leaf nodes)
Branches have a zigzag habit from leaf node to leaf node
Pronounced lateral growth habit; arching stems
Bark usually reddish brown in color
Typically 3 to 9 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 8 to 17 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences white
Seedpods lack an elongated stalk and are armed along the margins
Seedpods narrow and curved, with significant constrictions between each seed.

An aside: Virtually all of the plants sold at native plant nurseries in Texas as "Mimosa borealis/Pink Mimosa/Fragrant Mimosa" are actually Mimosa texana. Yes, even your favorite/most trusted plant nursery, it's a nearly universal case of mistaken identity.

Distinguishing M. borealis from M. texana:
https://www.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/digflora/mimosa/mimosa-dif.html

Distinguishing M. aculeaticarpa from M. texana:
https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/Mimosa/M_biuncif.html

Would you like to learn how to reliably distinguish between the three most common shrubby Mimosa species in Texas? Use the guidelines below.

M. borealis (Pink Mimosa/Fragrant Mimosa):
Mature plant usually 2 to 4 feet in height, rarely taller
Single straight or slightly recurved prickles occurring randomly along the stems
Branches are straight from leaf node to leaf node
Growth habit largely erect
Bark usually light gray or straw-colored
Typically 1 to 3 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 3 to 7 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences pink
Individual tiny flowers have separate petals (requires magnification)
Seedpods have an elongated stalk and are usually unarmed

M. texana (Texas Mimosa):
Mature plant usually at least 4 feet in height (unless growing in harsh rocky conditions), often becoming 6 to 8 feet in height with age
Single recurved prickles occurring below leaf nodes
Branches have a zigzag habit from leaf node to leaf node
Pronounced lateral growth habit; arching stems
Bark usually dark reddish brown in color
Typically 1 to 5 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 3 to 9 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences can range from pink to white
Individual tiny flowers have united petals (requires magnification)
Seedpods lack an elongated stalk and are armed along the margins
Seedpods mostly nearly straight and fairly broad, with only minor constrictions between each seed.

M. aculeaticarpa (Catclaw Mimosa):
Mature plant comparable in size to M. texana
Paired recurved prickles located at leaf nodes (rarely prickles borne singly immediately below leaf nodes)
Branches have a zigzag habit from leaf node to leaf node
Pronounced lateral growth habit; arching stems
Bark usually reddish brown in color
Typically 3 to 9 pairs of pinnae per leaf with 8 to 17 pairs of leaflets per pinna
Inflorescences white
Seedpods lack an elongated stalk and are armed along the margins
Seedpods narrow and curved, with significant constrictions between each seed.

An aside: Virtually all of the plants sold at native plant nurseries in Texas as "Mimosa borealis/Pink Mimosa/Fragrant Mimosa" are actually Mimosa texana. Yes, even your favorite/most trusted plant nursery, it's a nearly universal case of mistaken identity.

Distinguishing M. borealis from M. texana:
https://www.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/digflora/mimosa/mimosa-dif.html

Distinguishing M. aculeaticarpa from M. texana:
https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/Mimosa/M_biuncif.html

This buckwheat family plant is about 4 feet tall with red, sparsely-branching stems. "Flowers" are pale pink, tiny, in a tight spike at the tips of main stems and branches. The leaves have a membraneous sheath (an ochrea) around the stem at their base. Leaves are lanceolate with wavy margins; up to several inches long at the base of the plant. pike at the tips of main stems and branches.

Growing in a disturbed area that gets a lot of water runoff but is currently dry..

Fresh stems are thin and covered with tiny hairs, older stems turn woody. Leaves are 3-lobed and some are a little hairy. Fruit is red and globose; red is within normal color range for this species (there are many images of this species with red fruit in iNaturlaist).