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Mimosa pudica
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Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plant) (pudica = shy), 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. The species is native to South America and Central America, but is now a pantropical weed.
stem is erect in young plants, but becomes creeping or trailing with age.
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Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plant) (pudica = shy), 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. The species is native to South America and Central America, but is now a pantropical weed.
Description
The stem is erect in young plants, but becomes creeping or trailing with age. 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. 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 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.
Plant movement
Mimosa pudica is well known for its rapid plant movement. In the evening the leaflets will fold together and the whole leaf droops downward. It then re-opens at sunrise. This type of motion has been termed nyctinastic movement. The leaves also close up under various other stimuli, such as touching, warming, blowing, or shaking. The stimulus can also be transmitted to neighbouring leaves. These types of movements have been termed seismonastic movements. The movement is caused when the leafs lose turgor pressure. Turgor pressure is the force that is applied onto the cell wall by water and other cell contents. This allows the plant to stay upright, but when it is disturbed by a stimuli, chemicals in the plant force the water to leave the cell. When this pressure is lost the result is a sagging plant. This characteristic is quite common within the Mimosaceae family.
It is not known exactly why the Mimosa pudica has this feature but many scientists think that the plant uses its ability to shrink as a defense from predator. Many animals may be afraid of such a fast moving plant and would rather go and eat a less active one.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
Mimosa pudica was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753.
Common names
The species is known by numerous common names including
- sensitive plant
- humble plant
- shameful plant
- sleeping grass
- shy plant
- shrinking plant
- humble plant
- modest plant
- virgin plant
- touch-me-not.
- küstüm
- Kruikie roer my nie
The Chinese name for this plant translates to "shyness grass". Its Sinhala name is Nidikumba, where 'nidi' means 'sleep'. Its Tamil name is Thottal Sinungi, where 'Thottal' means 'touched' and 'Sinungi' means 'little cry'. Other non-English common names include Makahiya (Philippines, with maka- meaning "quite" or "tendency to be", and -hiya meaning "shy", or "shyness"), Mori Vivi (West Indies), and mate-loi (false death) (Tonga). In Urdu it is known as CHui-Mui. In Bengali, this is known as 'Lozzaboti', the shy virgin.
Distribution
Mimosa pudica is native to South America and Central America. It has been introduced to many other regions and is regarded as an invasive species in Tanzania, South Asia and South East Asia and many Pacific Islands. It is regarded as invasive in parts of Australia and is a declared weed in the Northern Territory, and Western Australia although not naturalized there. Control is recommended in Queensland. It has also been introduced to Nigeria, Seychelles, Mauritius and East Asia but is not regarded as invasive in those places. It also grows in parts of Florida, in the United States of America.
Agricultural impacts
The species can be a troublesome weed in tropical crops, particularly when fields are hand cultivated. Crops it tends to affect are corn, coconuts, tomatoes, cotton, coffee, bananas, soybeans, papaya, and sugar cane. Dry thickets may become a fire hazard. In some cases it has become a forage plant although the variety in Hawaii is reported to be toxic to livestock.
The Mimosa pudica also has the ability to take nitrogen from the air and "fix" it to a form that is suitable for itself and other plants. The plant got this trait from the Fabaceae family, also know as the legume family.
Cultivation
In cultivation, this plant is most often grown as an indoor annual, but is also grown for groundcover. Propagation is generally by seed.
Uses
Mimosa pudica is sold as an educational product and novelty gift sometimes under the trademark name TickleMe Plant.
Human Consumption
In Thailand,the leaves of this plant can be found at local street food stalls in the basket full of leaves that people will add in while eating to flavor the food.
Medicinal properties
The plant lajjalu described in Ayurveda has been identified as Mimosa pudica. This plant has several alternate Sanskrit common names, including Namaskari, and Rakta Paadi.
In Ayurveda, the plant is described as a plant which folds itself when touched and spreads its leaves once again after a while. It is said to have a bitter and astringent taste, and has a history of use for the treatment of various ailments. Most commonly used is the root, but leaves, flowers, bark, and fruit can also be implemented.
A list of some of the notable chemical compounds found in Mimosa pudica can be found here: .
Ayurvedan Properties (guna) of Lajjalu
- Has tikta and kashaya rasa (bitter and astringent taste).
- Has property of cold (sheetha).
- Balances kapha, pitta.
- Shushrutha has placed this plant in Priyangwambhastaadi gana.
See also
External links
- in the Biodiversity Heritage Library
- by Dr. T. Ombrello
- by John Hewitson
-
- Videos of the sensitive plant
- Streaming video of plant.
- Video mimosa pudica in Bornéo
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