Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Mimosa pudica - The sensitive plant

Other names given to this curious plant are TickleMe Plant, Humble plant, Shame plant, Sleeping grass, Prayer Plant, Touch-me-not, Makahiya (Philippines, meaning "shy"), Mori Vivi (West Indies), mate-loi (false death) (Tonga).



The Chinese name for this plant translates to "shyness grass". The species epithet, pudica, is Latin for "bashful" or "shrinking". Because of its curious nature and easy procreation. Its Sinhala name is Nidikumba, where 'nidi' means 'sleep'.

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