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Mimosa pudica
Also called Sensitive Weed, Shameplant, Common Sensitive Plant, Shame Lady Shame, Wild Tantan, Touch Me Not, Action Plant
In Singapore: Sensitive Plant, Touch-me-not, Shame Plant, Live-and-die, Humble Plant, Action Plant, Rumput Simalu, Mimosa, Malu-malu, 含羞草 (Grown in Singapore)
Mimosa pudica is a low, creeping annual or short-lived perennial legume, grown mainly for its leaves that fold and droop when touched. It needs warmth, bright light and well-drained soil, and it is frost-sensitive.
Mimosa pudica (also called sensitive plant, sleepy grass, sleepy plant, action plant, humble plant, touch-me-not, touch-and-die, shame plant or shy plant) is a creeping annual or perennial flowering plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae. It is often grown for its curiosity value: the sensitive compound leaves quickly fold inward and droop when touched or shaken and re-open a few minutes later. For this reason, this species is commonly cited as an example of rapid plant movement. Like a number of other plant species, it undergoes changes in leaf orientation termed "sleep" or nyctinastic movement. The foliage closes during darkness and reopens in light. This was first studied by French scientist Jean-Jacques d'Ortous. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
In cultivation, this plant is most often grown as an indoor short lived perennial but is also grown for groundcover. Propagation is generally by seed. Germination should take place in 2-3 weeks. Mimosa pudica grows most effectively in nutrient-poor soil that allows for substantial water drainage. However, this plant is also shown to grow in scalped and eroded subsoils. Typically, disrupted soil is necessary in order for M. pudica to become established in an area. Additionally, the plant is shade intolerant and frost-sensitive, meaning that it does not tolerate low levels of light or cold temperatures. Mimosa pudica does not compete for resources with larger foliage or forest canopy undergrowth.
In temperate zones it must be grown under protection, where the temperature falls below 13 °C (55 °F).
Mimosa pudica is native to the tropical Americas. It can also be found in Asian countries such as Singapore, Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, and Sri Lanka. It has been introduced to many other regions and is regarded as an invasive species in Tanzania, South and Southeast 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.
Mimosa andina · Giant false sensitive plant · Mimosa ophthalmocentra · Giant Sensitive Plant · Mimosa somnians · Mimosa tenuiflora · Mimosa verrucosa · Sensitive plant
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mimosa pudica 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
