Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica)

Add some fun and greenery to the indoors with the help of the sensitive plant.

The fine texture and small powderpuff pinkish-purple blooms make it a nice addition to your indoor garden. But the real attraction is the folding leaves. A gentle touch of the leaves or as the day darkens into night the leaves fold and droop.  They bounce back as daylight returns or an hour or two after being touched.

It’s thought that this response may be a defense mechanism, since animals tend to skip wilted plants to dine on healthier specimens. The wilting also helps conserve moisture.

This tropical beauty is native to Brazil, but has naturalized throughout the tropics of America, Africa and Asia. You can grow it as an outdoor annual where it reaches 18 inches in height. Hardy in zone 11 it can reseed and be a bit weedy in the Gulf states.

A bit more information:  Impress your friends with a bit more information. Nyctinastic is the term used to describe the nighttime movement of these leaves. Seismonastic movements occur when the leaves are touched or the plant is shaken.

Tags

houseplants

Related

Audio

Selecting Artificial Lights for Indoor Gardens

Audio

Houseplants Purify the Air

Audio

Give Houseplants a New Home

Audio

Vacation Care for Your Houseplants

Audio

Yellow Leaves on Hibiscus, Mandevilla and Other Indoor Plants

Audio

Transplanting Houseplants (Indoor Plants)

Audio

Winter Care for Houseplants

Video

Transplanting Houseplants

Article

Growing an Orange Tree Indoors

Article

Growing a Rose Plant Indoors

• « Previous
• 1
• 2
• ...
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• Next »