Lagonychium

a genus of plants of the family Mimosaceae. It has a single species, Lagonychium farctum, which is a strongly branched, spiny, pubescent shrub with twice pinnate leaves. The axis of the leaf and the axes of the leaflets have sharp barbs. The pale yellow flowers grow in axillary, many-flowered racemose inflorescences. The fruit is a large, reddish brown pod. The plant is distributed in southern Middle Asia, northeastern Africa, Transcaucasia, the Middle East, and Asia Minor. It grows on loess in foothills, on plains and dried-up riverbeds, and along seacoasts; it also grows as a weed among crops and near dwellings. The seeds are edible, and the roots contain tanning substances. The genus is frequently included in the genus Prosopis.