gatuña . ( Of cat , by alus. to the thorns of the plant, and claw ). 1. f. herbaceous plant of the family of the Papilionáceas, with stems ramosos, thin, almost lying, hard and thorny, leaves consisting of three small, elliptical and toothed leaflets, solitary, axillary, reddish, or white flowers, and fruit in oval vanilla, with few seeds. It is very common in the fields, and the root has been used as a snack.