Sensitive Plant - mimosa pudica

kansuze (63)in #nature • 6 years ago (edited)

Long before I encountered it, I had read about this plant that closed its leaves when you touched it. The first time I saw it in real life was in a greenhouse and, yes, it's quite a novelty. Run your finger along the leaves and they fold up completely. It's thought that this prevents herbivores from grazing on them, possibly by frightening them away, but the leaves also close at night.

Although it is considered a houseplant, it's not a common one and like other houseplants in the Northern hemisphere, occasionally you learn that it is a wild plant elsewhere, sometimes by stumbling upon it. That is my hand poking some I found in Panama.

Sensitive Plant, also called Humble Plant, is native to Central and South America. Apparently, it can get as high as my waist but I have only ever seen it growing where the lawn or weeds have been cut back.

I don't recommend it as a houseplant. I find its delicate leaves a little too delicate for that unless you like pampering them with mist in the winter or have a humid place to grow them.

Now watch this - it's the best part!