The
Sensitive Plant is native to Central and South America, and gets it name
because its leaflets fold in and droop when they are touched. This is caused by
a drop of pressure in certain cells, and leads to a very cool effect. The
leaves also react to heat and light which causes the plant to fold up every
evening.
Mimosa pudica (from Latin: pudica "shy, bashful or shrinking";
also called sensitive plant, sleepy plant and the touch-me-not),
is a creeping annual or perennial herb often
grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when
touched or shaken, to protect them from predators, re-opening minutes later.
The species is native to South America and Central America, but is now a pantropical weed. It grows mostly in
shady areas, under trees or shrubs.
Description
The stem is erect
in young plants, but becomes creeping or trailing with age. It can hang very
low and become floppy. The stem is slender, branching, and sparsely to densely
prickly, growing to a length of 1.5 m (5 ft). The leaves of the
mimosa pudica are compound leaves.
The leaves are bipinnately compound, with one or two
pinnae pairs, and 10–26 leaflets per pinna. The petioles are also prickly. Pedunculate (stalked) pale pink or purple flower heads arise from the leaf axils in
mid summer with more and more flowers as the plant gets older. The globose to
ovoid heads are 8–10 mm in diameter (excluding the stamens). On close
examination, it is seen that the floret petals are red in their upper part and the
filaments are pink to lavender. The fruit consists
of clusters of 2–8 pods from 1–2 cm long each, these being prickly on the
margins. The pods break into 2–5 segments and contain pale brown seeds some
2.5 mm long. The flowers are pollinated by the wind and insects.The seeds
have hard seed coats which restrict germination.
Common names
The species is
known by numerous common names including
·
sensitive plant
·
humble plant
·
shameful plant
·
sleeping grass
·
touch-me-not
·
chhuimui
·
ant-plant
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