Mimosa pudica seeds
Mimosa pudica seeds
Mimosa pudica is a long-lived herbaceous plant which also goes by the names, Touch me not, Zombie plant, Sensitive plant, Action plant, Sleepy plant, Dormilones and Shame plant. The plant synonym is Mimosa hispidula kunth. Mimosa pudica is a flowering legume of Fabaceae family and Mimosa genus. The plant finds its origin in the South and Central America but has been widely distributed to other areas like South and East Asia.
Mimosa pudica has erect stem when the plant is still young and slowly becOme creeping as it ages. It eventually hangs very low therefore becoming flabby. Its stems are slimy heavily branched and grow up to a length of 1.5 metres, but can grow taller when supported with other vegetation. Its leaves are feather-like, a compound with one or more pinnae pairs of about 10-26 leaflets per pinna. It has petioles that are bristled and flower heads are purple or pale pinked. It flowers during the mid-summer. The mimosa pudica flowers increase with the age of the plant. The flowers are followed by fruits which occur in clusters of 2-8 pods. The fruits are spiny at the margins. The pods then break into segments which consist of brown seeds of about 2mm long.
Mimosa pudica is believed by many to be useful in various ways. For example, the plant has been found to contain antiasthmatic, analgesic and aphrodisiac properties that were traditionally appreciated. The plant is also a source of emetic, sedative and tonic substances in which people traditionally used in the treatment of various ailments such as diarrhea, insomnia, alopecia, the tumor as well as other urogenital infections.
