Meet the Mimosa Pudica, a quirky yet delightful addition to your plant collection. This fascinating specimen, affectionately known as the Sensitive Plant, boasts leaves that can't resist a gentle touch. Watch in awe as they respond with rapid movements, adding a touch of interactive charm to your space. Come nightfall, the leaves gracefully fold, creating a captivating dance in response to darkness.
Hailing from Brazil, this beauty surprises with lilac-pink spherical flowers in midsummer, beautifully complementing its vibrant green leaves. Perfect for both indoor and outdoor settings, the Mimosa Pudica stands at a manageable 1-2 ft. tall, making it an ideal houseplant or potted outdoor annual. Stick it by a sunny window, and you're in for a show.
Caring for this lively companion is straightforward—moderate watering from below and avoiding excessive handling will keep it thriving. With its fascinating features, the Mimosa Pudica is sure to capture attention. Give it a home, and let the natural theatrics unfold!
Main care requirements for growing a sensitive plant:
• Give this plant plenty of bright sunshine indoors or outdoors.
• Plant in well-draining, loamy soil for proper root growth.
• Water to keep soil moist, but never soggy. Reduce watering in the winter for indoor sensitive plants.
• Keep temperatures indoors or outdoors between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for best results.
• Keep levels of indoor humidity on the higher side for this plant and only grow it in the ground (with caution) in tropical or subtropical climates.
Common Name: Sensitive plant, touch-me-not, shameplant, sleepy plant, shy plant
Botanical Name: Mimosa pudica
Family: Fabaceae
Plant Type: Shrub, herbaceous, perennial, annual
Mature Size: 18 in. tall, 1-5 ft. wide
Sun Exposure: Full, partial
Soil Type: Well-draining, loamy
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral
Bloom Time: Summer
Flower Color: Purple, pink
Hardiness Zones: 7–13 (USDA)
Native Area: Central America, South America
~ planting ~
Growing Mimosa Pudica from flower seed is not difficult, but germination can be erratic.
• To soften the hard coating on these seeds, rub them lightly with sandpaper or soak in hot water for 5 hours to overnight.
• Press the Mimosa Pudica seeds into the soil and BARELY cover with soil. Kept at 75° F., germination is in 10-40 days.
• Light is required for germination. Bottom heat of 75° F aids germination.
• Keep the flower seed moist (not soggy!) until germination. Covering with clear plastic can help to hold in the moisture, but remove the plastic as soon as there is a sprout.
• Transfer Mimosa seedlings into 3 in. pots once large enough to handle.
(*After scarification, some also choose to stratify by mixing the seeds with moist sand and storing in the refrigerator for 15-20 days before planting.)
~ growing ~
• Water seedlings occasionally until they become established; mature plants grow best in fairly dry soil and do well in drought, sand, and poor soil. This plant will self-seed unless cut back after flowering has finished. These flowers attract butterflies and bees.
• Best watered at ground level to avoid “tripping” the leaves.
~ cut flowers ~
Not recommended.
~ seed saving ~
• As the seed pods develop, watch them carefully; they eventually explode and expel their seeds. Collect the pods as soon as they begin to dry. Spread them out away from direct sunlight, covering them lightly to contain the seed as the pods explode. Separate the seed from the pods, and store the seed in a cool dry place.
What is the Science behind the leaf movement?
• The part of the leaf that causes the movement is called the pulvinus, a cluster of gatekeeper cells at the base of each leaflet and the leaf itself.
• The pulvinus is composed of two types of cells, a flexible strand of cells that functions like a hinge and a group of cells above and below the hinge that can gain or lose water rapidly.
• The response begins when leaves are disturbed – by touch, heat, wind or feeding of an insect.
• An electrical signal is flashed to the pulvinus and the cells on the underside of the hinge deflate while the upper ones engorge with water. This is done by the rapid loss of potassium and chlorine ions from the lower cells and a rapid uptake of calcium ions in the upper cells.
