''Mimosa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock for ...

family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resembling", suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'. Two species in the genus are especially notable. One is '' Mimosa pudica'', commonly known as touch-me-not, which folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. It is native to southern

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as a houseplant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics. Outdoor cultivation has led to weedy

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing ...

in some areas, notably

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. The other is '' Mimosa tenuiflora'', which is best known for its use in shamanic

ayahuasca AyahuascaPronounced as in the UK and in the US. Also occasionally known in English as ''ayaguasca'' ( Spanish-derived), ''aioasca'' (Brazilian Portuguese-derived), or as ''yagé'', pronounced or . Etymologically, all forms but ''yagé'' desce ...

brews due to the psychedelic drug

dimethyltryptamine ''N'',''N''-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or ''N'',''N''-DMT, SPL026) is a substituted tryptamine that occurs in many plants and animals, including human beings, and which is both a derivative and a structural analog of tryptamine. It is used as a ...

found in its root bark.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the genus ''Mimosa'' has gone through several periods of splitting and lumping, ultimately accumulating over 3,000 names, many of which have either been synonymized under other species or transferred to other genera. In part due to these changing circumscriptions, the name "Mimosa" has also been applied to several other related species with similar pinnate or bipinnate leaves, but are now classified in other genera. The most common examples of this are '' Albizia julibrissin'' (Persian silk tree) and '' Acacia dealbata'' (wattle).

Description

Members of this genus are among the few plants capable of rapid movement; examples outside of ''Mimosa'' include the

telegraph plant ''Codariocalyx motorius'' (though often placed in ''Desmodium''), known as the telegraph plant, dancing plant, or semaphore plant, is a tropical Asian shrub in the Pea Family (Papillionaceae), one of a few plants capable of rapid movement; oth ...

, ''

Aldrovanda ''Aldrovanda'' is a genus of carnivorous plants encompassing one extant species (''Aldrovanda vesiculosa'', the waterwheel plant) and numerous extinct taxa. The genus is named in honor of the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi, the founder of ...

'', some species of '' Drosera'' and the Venus flytrap. The leaves of the ''Mimosa pudica'' close quickly when touched. Some mimosas raise their leaves in the day and lower them at night, and experiments done by

Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan (26 November 1678 – 20 February 1771) was a French geophysicist, astronomer and most notably, chronobiologist, was born in the town of Béziers on 26 November 1678. De Mairan lost his father, François d'Ortou ...

on mimosas in 1729 provided the first evidence of biological clocks.Neuroscience; Bear, Connors, Paradiso ''Mimosa'' can be distinguished from the large related genera, ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus nam ...

'' and '' Albizia'', since its flowers have ten or fewer

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...

s. Botanically, what appears to be a single globular flower is actually a cluster of many individual ones. Mimosas contain some level of

heptanoic acid Enanthic acid, also called heptanoic acid, is an organic compound composed of a seven-carbon chain terminating in a carboxylic acid functional group. It is a colorless oily liquid with an unpleasant, rancid odor. It contributes to the odor of som ...

Species

There are about 590 species including: *'' Mimosa aculeaticarpa'' Ortega *'' Mimosa andina'' Benth. *'' Mimosa arenosa'' (Willd.) Poir. *'' Mimosa asperata'' L. *'' Mimosa borealis'' Gray *'' Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia'' Benth. *'' Mimosa casta'' L. *'' Mimosa cupica'' Gray *'' Mimosa ceratonia'' L. *'' Mimosa diplotricha'' C.Wright ''ex'' Sauvalle *'' Mimosa disperma'' Barneby *'' Mimosa distachya'' Cav. *'' Mimosa dysocarpa'' Benth. *'' Mimosa emoryana'' Benth. *'' Mimosa grahamii'' Gray *'' Mimosa hamata'' Willd. *'' Mimosa hystricina'' (Small ex Britt. et Rose) B.L.Turner *'' Mimosa invisa'' Martius ''ex'' Colla *'' Mimosa latidens'' (Small) B.L. Turner *'' Mimosa laxiflora'' Benth. *'' Mimosa loxensis'' Barneby *'' Mimosa malacophylla'' Gray *'' Mimosa microphylla'' Dry. *'' Mimosa nothacacia'' Barneby *'' Mimosa nuttallii'' (DC.) B.L. Turner *'' Mimosa ophthalmocentra'' Mart. ex Benth. 1865 *'' Mimosa pellita'' Kunth ex Willd. *''

Mimosa pigra ''Mimosa pigra'', commonly known as the giant sensitive tree (''pigra'' = lazy, slow), is a species of plant of the genus ''Mimosa'', in the family Fabaceae. The genus ''Mimosa'' (Mimosaceae) contains 400–450 species, most of which are native ...

'' L. *'' Mimosa polycarpa'' Kunth *'' Mimosa pudica'' L. *'' Mimosa quadrivalvis'' L. **''Mimosa quadrivalvis'' var. ''hystricina'' (Small) Barneby **''Mimosa quadrivalvis'' var. ''quadrivalvis'' L. *'' Mimosa roemeriana'' Scheele *'' Mimosa rubicaulis'' Lam. *'' Mimosa rupertiana'' B.L. Turner *''

Mimosa scabrella ''Mimosa scabrella'' is a tree in the family Fabaceae. It is very fast-growing and it can reach a height of tall in only 3 years. Its trunk is about in diameter. It has yellow flowers. Biology ''Mimosa scabrella'' (Bracatinga) is a tree in ...

'' Benth. *'' Mimosa schomburgkii'' Benth. *'' Mimosa somnians'' Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. *'' Mimosa strigillosa'' Torr. et Gray *'' Mimosa tenuiflora'' (Willd.) Poir. (= ''Mimosa hostilis'') *'' Mimosa texana'' (Gray) Small *'' Mimosa townsendii'' Barneby *'' Mimosa turneri'' Barneby *'' Mimosa verrucosa''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

References

External links

* *
Mimosa-pudica.de
{{Taxonbar, from=Q160110 Fabaceae genera Articles containing video clips