Mimosa pudica, the sensitive plant

Most plants are sensitive and react, for example, to sound waves. Mimosa pudica, also known as sensitive, is highly emotional. This member of the Fabaceae family reacts to touch and bad weather by retracting its leaves.

Mimosa pudica is an evergreen perennial. In the wild, it grows up to a metre long in all directions, with a creeping habit. It reaches a maximum height and spread of 50 centimetres when grown in pots. This gives it a bushy habit.

The base of the plant is woody, while the reddish stems are spindly. They are covered with thorns.

Bipinnate leaves grow in groups of three or four on long petioles. They are made up of some fifteen bright green leaflets, arranged on either side of the central vein.

The leaf blades have a curious organ called the pulvinus. As with goeppertia louisae, it enables the plant to fold its leaves at night. But Mimosa pudica is particularly sensitive. It also contracts its foliage when touched, during periods of drought or strong winds. This mechanism helps it to protect itself from predators and to survive when the climate becomes hostile.

Pink, blue or lilac flowers bloom in spring. The upright stamens form a pompom one to two centimetres in diameter.

After flowering, a fruit appears at the top of the stalk. It's an oblong, flattened pod. It contains a brown seed.

The sensitive plant is not toxic to animals. On the contrary, it is sometimes used to feed livestock. It is also harmless to humans. Some believe it to have medicinal and even magical properties.