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Mimosa is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of about 400 species of herbs and shrubs, in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family Fabaceae
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
. There are two species in the genus that are notable. First the Mimosa pudica
Mimosa pudica

Mimosa pudica , is a creeping annual or perennial herb often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched, re-opening within minutes....
 because of the way it folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. It is native to southern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Uruguay
Uruguay

Uruguay is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.7 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
 but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as an indoor plant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics.






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Mimosa is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of about 400 species of herbs and shrubs, in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family Fabaceae
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
. There are two species in the genus that are notable. First the Mimosa pudica
Mimosa pudica

Mimosa pudica , is a creeping annual or perennial herb often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched, re-opening within minutes....
 because of the way it folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. It is native to southern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Uruguay
Uruguay

Uruguay is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.7 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area....
 and Central America
Central America

Central America is a central geography region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmus portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast....
 but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as an indoor plant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics. Outdoor cultivation has led to weed
WEED

WEED is a radio station broadcasting a Gospel format. Licensed to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA, it serves the area. The station is currently owned by Northstar Broadcasting Corporation....
y invasion
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
 in some areas, notably Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
. Second, the Mimosa hostilis
Mimosa hostilis

Mimosa tenuiflora is a perennial evergreen tree or shrub native to the northeastern region of Brazil and found as far north as southern Mexico ....
 which contains large levels of the powerful hallucinogen DMT
DMT

DMT is a three-letter abbreviation which may stand for* Dimethyltryptamine, a hallucinogenic tryptamine* Dance Movement Therapy* Dimethyl terephthalate...
 in its roots.

Taxonomy

The genus Mimosa has had a tortuous history, having gone through periods of splitting and lumping, ultimately accumulating over 3,000 names, many of which have either been synonymized under other species or transferred to other genera. In part due to these changing circumscriptions, the name "Mimosa" has also been applied to several other related species with similar pinnate or bipinnate leaves but now classified in other genera, most commonly to Albizia julibrissin
Albizia julibrissin

Albizia julibrissin is a species of legume in the genus Albizia, native to southern and eastern Asia, from Iran east to China and Korea....
 (Silk Tree) and Acacia dealbata
Acacia

Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Sweden botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1773....
 (Silver Wattle).

Description

Members of this genus are among the few plants capable of rapid movement
Rapid plant movement

Rapid plant movement encompasses movement in plant structures occurring over a very short period of time, usually under one second. For example, the Venus Flytrap closes its trap in about 100 Millisecond....
; examples outside of Mimosa include the Telegraph plant, and the Venus Flytrap
Venus Flytrap

The Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces....
. Mimosa can be distinguished from the large related genera, Acacia
Acacia

Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Sweden botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1773....
 and Albizia
Albizia

Albizia is a genus of about 150 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family, Fabaceae....
, since its flowers have 10 or fewer stamen
Stamen

The stamen is the male organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament , and, on top of the filament, an anther , and pollen sacs, called sporangium....
s. Note that, botanically, what appears to be a single globular flower is actually a cluster of many individual ones.

Species

There are about 400 species including:
  • Mimosa aculeaticarpa Ortega
  • Mimosa arenosa (Willd.) Poir.
  • Mimosa asperata L.
  • Mimosa borealis Gray
  • Mimosa casta L.
  • Mimosa ceratonia L.
  • Mimosa diplotricha
    Mimosa diplotricha

    Mimosa diplotricha, also known as the giant sensitive plant, is a species in the Fabaceae family.References...
     C.Wright ex Sauvalle
  • Mimosa dysocarpa Benth.
    • Mimosa dysocarpa var. dysocarpa Benth.
  • Mimosa emoryana Benth.
  • Mimosa grahamii Gray
    • Mimosa grahamii var. grahamii Gray
  • Mimosa hostilis
    Mimosa hostilis

    Mimosa tenuiflora is a perennial evergreen tree or shrub native to the northeastern region of Brazil and found as far north as southern Mexico ....
  • Mimosa hystricina (Small ex Britt. et Rose) B.L.Turner
  • Mimosa latidens (Small) B.L. Turner
  • Mimosa laxiflora Benth.
  • Mimosa malacophylla Gray
  • Mimosa microphylla Dry.
  • Mimosa nuttallii
    Mimosa nuttallii

    The Catclaw Brier , also known as the Sensitive Brier, is a herbaceous perennial legume in the subfamily Mimosoideae. It has a trailing semiwoody vine covered with small recurved prickles that can be painful to bare skin....
     (DC.) B.L. Turner
  • Mimosa pellita Kunth ex Willd.
  • Mimosa pigra
    Mimosa pigra

    Giant Mimosa Mimosa pigra , is an invasive species of the genus Mimosa, in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the Neotropics, but has been listed as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species, and has been documented in: Australia, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, South A...
     L.
    • Mimosa pigra var. pigra L.
  • Mimosa pudica
    Mimosa pudica

    Mimosa pudica , is a creeping annual or perennial herb often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched, re-opening within minutes....
     L. - La sensitive
  • Mimosa quadrivalvis L.
    • Mimosa quadrivalvis var. hystricina (Small) Barneby
  • Mimosa roemeriana Scheele
  • Mimosa rupertiana B.L. Turner
  • Mimosa scabrella
    Mimosa scabrella

    Mimosa scabrella is a tree in the Fabaceae family. It is very fast growing and it can reach a height of 15 m tall in only 3 years. Its trunk is about 0.1-0.5 m in diameter....
     Benth.
  • Mimosa schomburgkii Benth.
  • Mimosa somnians
    Mimosa somnians

    Mimosa somnians is a tree in the Fabaceae family. It is native to the Caribbean, Central America and South America. It is a short, low lying shrub with minuscule thorns lining its stems like hairs....
  • Mimosa strigillosa Torr. et Gray
  • Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. (= Mimosa hostilis)
  • Mimosa texana (Gray) Small
  • Mimosa turneri Barneby
  • Mimosa verrucosa
    Mimosa verrucosa

    Mimosa verrucosa, Jurema Branca or Jurema De Oieras is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family.It is a shrub or small tree native to Brazil ....


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