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Mimosa
Also called Sensitive Plants
Mimosa is a genus of about 600 herbs and shrubs, with the best-known member being Mimosa pudica (touch-me-not), whose leaves fold when touched. Grown mainly as a novelty houseplant in temperate areas and outdoors in the tropics, it needs warmth and bright light.
Mimosa is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar) as well as the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. The generic name is derived from the Greek word μῖμος (mimos), 'actor' or 'mime', and the feminine suffix -osa, 'resembling', suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'.
Two species in the genus are especially notable. One is Mimosa pudica, commonly known as touch-me-not, which folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. It is native to southern Central and South America but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as a houseplant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics.
Mimosa andina · Giant false sensitive plant · Mimosa ophthalmocentra · Giant Sensitive Plant · Sensitive Plant · Mimosa somnians · Mimosa tenuiflora · Mimosa verrucosa
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mimosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
