The Touch-Me-Not Plant (Mimosa Pudica) 🌿 👈 A Plant So Cool It's Even In A Reggae Video
Have you ever seen a plant react to touch? Well, if touched or disturbed, the Mimosa Pudica folds its leaves inward almost immediately.
A Plant of Many Names
Touch-Me-Not, Sleepy Plant, Sensitive Plant, Shameplant, Action Plant
I've known this plant ever since I moved to Cambodia in 2010, and when I spotted it here in Suriname, I assumed the Javanese or Indians brought it here. However, this plant is native to South America and the Caribbean, which makes me really curious how it's so widespread in Cambodia.
There are around 400 species within the Mimosa genus, something I noticed when researching this plants geographic origins. There aren't too many medicinal uses of this plant I'm aware of, as I've only heard one person mention it can be used for tea, but this person had no idea about its medicinal properties.
Even though I've known this plant for years, today was the first time I saw it flowering. Although small, it's quite a beautiful flower, and well-protected by a maze of thorny stems.
Well, nothing left to do but let the lovely @sreypov demonstrate a little proof of brain. Also, as I was putting this post together, I remembered the humble Mimosa Pudica makes a cameo in JAH9's "Humble Mi" reggae music video.
Well, that's all folks, just wanted to share this mystical plant with you all. Curious to know if there are any traditional medicinal uses of this plant in your country?
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This is one of the plants with which I liked to play as a child, I played that I had the power to sleep the plants hahaha a game that I was very funny, here in Venezuela we all know it as Dormilona, I liked the pictures you took a greeting to all your family.
Thanks for stopping by my friend. It does seem this plant created a lot of positive childhood memories for us Hivers.
I've loved these plants since forever, they're also quite common here, of course. I've always regarded them as gentle even though I didn't have a word for the feeling when I was a kid. It's been a while since I've touched one.
Stepping on them barefoot is no fun, as @kb.animalwelf mentioned. However, the cool physical properties are a nice trade-off, and still a novelty for me even though I've known this plant for 11+ years.
Oh, I've never been barefoot around them, didn't know they had any unpleasant effects. I'll keep that in mind, thanks, man!
Sometimes I think I've heard of everything then I realize I can't know everything in this lifetime. Incredible. Thank you for the enlightenment!
Such a cool little plant! I never cease to be amazed by new (to me) plants, especially ones with crazy properties like this one.
I have never seen a flowering one yet. We called it shame Ole Lady in Jamaica. Never tried the tea, would love to though....hmmm, cannot recall seeing this plant here.
I don't know much about it, but based on where it grows, I assume most parts of Japan would be to cold. I had never seen a flowering one before either, and was convinced it was from another nearby weed until I traced the flower stalk back to this plant's vine.
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There's also a lot of it in the Philippines. We call it makahiya over there (hiya = shy).
Funny how so many countries give it a similar name. The only plant I know of that can also move quickly by reacting to touch is is the Venus Flytrap, which as far as I know, only grows in a tiny area of South and North Carolina in the USA. Unfortunately they're nearly extinct because people keep taking them from the wild for and selling or bringing home for ornamental purposes.
I do remember playing with this plant in my childhood. It used to grow in the mark just outside my home and we used to play it like teasing it. The reaction of folding used to amaze us as a kid. Miss such childhood memories, thanks for reminding.
Well, I'm nearly 40 and I still can't resist touching one if I see it along the roadside while out walking. Perhaps one of the few positive things these nearly two years of lockdowns an curfews have taught me is to find joy in the simple things. Keeping a healthy mind has become much more of a priority lately, and little things like this that invoke the childlike state of joy are priceless.
Those things are sharp and really hurt if you step on them with your bare feet here. I have tried to remove them from my yard on many occasions and discovered that there is a massive underground network of roots that make them very difficult to eradicate.
It is pretty cool how they close when you touch them though, that is for sure.
Indeed, the thorns are hidden by the foliage, but I've luckily never treaded barefoot on this one. I think they are pretty invasive, because you certainly never see a small patch. This seems to take over an area quite fast and crowd out all the other plants.
This reminds me a lot when I was a kid, opposite of my dad house is a huge space with grass growing wild. I've seen this on the ground and sometimes I would spend hours sweeping through the whole field, come back and saw them reopened. LOL.
Such a cool plant, and it seems intrigue kids wherever it grows. I still never get bored waving my hand over a patch of leaves. I sometimes even stay to watch them reopen if I'm really bored.