What is the latest information on Mimosa pudica? This article gives you a detailed introduction

Mimosa pudica is a perennial herb or subshrub of the Fabaceae family. Because its leaves respond to heat and light and close immediately when touched by an external force, it is named Mimosa pudica. Its flowers, leaves and pods all have good ornamental value, and it is relatively easy to keep alive, suitable as a potted flower for balconies and indoors. If people eat it or come into excessive contact with Mimosa pudica, it can also cause hair loss, and it can also be grown in courtyards and other places.

Mimosa pudica is shaped like a pom-pom, and after flowering it forms pods, with the fruit being flat and round. The leaves are pinnate compound leaves arranged alternately, in a palmate arrangement. It usually blooms after midsummer, with oblong capitula, 2 to 3 growing in the leaf axils. The flowers are white or pink, the calyx is bell-shaped with 8 tiny calyx teeth, the petals are four-lobed, there are four stamens, and the ovary is hairless. The pods are flat, with 1 seed per pod segment, and the segments fall off when ripe. The flowering period is September.

Mimosa pudica differs from ordinary plants in that when touched by the outside world, its petioles droop and its leaflets close. People interpret this action as “shyness”, so it is called Mimosa pudica, Zhixiu grass, and Pa Chou grass. This special ability has a certain historical origin. Its home is Brazil in tropical South America, where there are often strong winds and heavy rain. Whenever the first raindrop hits a leaf, it immediately closes its leaflets and droops its petioles to avoid the damage caused by storms, which is an adaptation to changes in external environmental conditions. In addition, the movement of Mimosa pudica can also be seen as a form of self-defense. As soon as an animal touches it, it folds its leaves, and the animal no longer dares to eat it.

Mimosa pudica is native to tropical America and has spread widely across the world's tropical regions. It is produced in Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places, growing in wild wastelands and shrub thickets. It is often cultivated along the Yangtze River basin for ornament. It likes a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight, and is suitable for well-drained sandy loam rich in organic matter. The plant is robust, grows quickly, and has strong adaptability.

Mimosa pudica is sweet and astringent in taste and cool in nature. It has the effects of calming the heart and soothing the nerves, and clearing heat and detoxifying. It is used for vomiting and diarrhea, insomnia, infantile malnutrition, red and swollen eyes, deep abscesses, shingles and other conditions. The root of Mimosa pudica is astringent and slightly bitter in taste and toxic. It has the effects of relieving cough and resolving phlegm, draining dampness and unblocking collaterals, and harmonizing the stomach and resolving food stagnation. It is used for cough with phlegm and asthma, rheumatic joint pain, infantile indigestion and other conditions. However, Mimosa pudica has an anesthetic effect, so it should not be taken orally in excess, and pregnant women should avoid taking it.