| Mimosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mimosa flower heads | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Mimosa L. (1753) |
| Type species | |
| Mimosa pudica | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Mimosa is agenus of about 600[2] species of herbs and shrubs, in themimosoid clade of thelegume familyFabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar) as well as the Indian subcontinent and Indochina.[1] The generic name is derived from theGreek wordμῖμος (mimos), 'actor' or 'mime', and the feminine suffix -osa, 'resembling', suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'.[3][4]
Two species in the genus are especially notable. One isMimosa pudica, commonly known astouch-me-not, which folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. It is native to southernCentral andSouth America but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as ahouseplant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics. Outdoor cultivation has led toweedyinvasion in some areas, notablyHawaii. The other isMimosa tenuiflora, which is best known for its use in shamanicayahuasca brews due to the psychedelic drugdimethyltryptamine found in its root bark.
The taxonomy of the genusMimosa has gone through several periods ofsplitting and lumping, ultimately accumulating over 3,000 names, many of which have either beensynonymized under other species or transferred to other genera. In part due to these changingcircumscriptions, the name "Mimosa" has also been applied to several other related species with similarpinnate or bipinnate leaves, but are now classified in other genera. The most common examples of this areAlbizia julibrissin (Persian silk tree) andAcacia dealbata (wattle).
Members of this genus are among the few plants capable ofrapid movement; examples outside ofMimosa include thetelegraph plant,Aldrovanda, some species ofDrosera and theVenus flytrap. The leaves of theMimosa pudica close quickly when touched. Some mimosas raise their leaves in the day and lower them at night, and experiments done byJean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan on mimosas in 1729 provided the first evidence of biological clocks.[5]
Mimosa can be distinguished from the large related genera,Acacia andAlbizia, since its flowers have ten or fewerstamens. Botanically, what appears to be a single globular flower is actually a cluster of many individual ones. Mimosas contain some level ofheptanoic acid.
There are about 590 species including:[6]
Authority control databases: National |
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