What are the latest flower meanings and legends of the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)?
The sensitive plant is also known as the touch-me-not, the shy plant, the shouting plant, the shamefaced plant, the laughing plant, the husband-and-wife plant, the bashful plant, and so on. It is a perennial herb or subshrub in the Fabaceae family. Because its leaves respond to heat and light and close immediately when touched by an external force, it is named the sensitive plant. It is also relatively easy to grow and is suitable as a potted flower for balconies and indoors. Now let us take a look at the flower meanings and legends of the sensitive plant!
The flower meanings of the sensitive plant
Shyness, sensitivity, politeness. If the leaves of the sensitive plant are touched by hand, watered, or exposed to a typhoon, they will curl up, as if bowing to someone, making it a very courteous plant. Therefore, its flower meaning is “politeness”. Anyone born under the blessing of this flower is a person who behaves properly and is loved by elders.
The symbolism of the sensitive plant
When you gently touch the sensitive plant, its leaves immediately close and droop. Even when a gust of wind blows past, the sensitive plant will react in the same way. In this situation, the sensitive plant is like a shy young girl, so the flower meaning of the sensitive plant also includes shyness. People born under the blessing of this flower are very shy and timid by nature, and are very afraid of strangers. They are especially keen in perception and also have strong self-esteem. However, when they are with people who understand them, they become much more relaxed and at ease. They value quality over quantity in making friends and prefer feelings that flow steadily and last.
The legend of the sensitive plant
Legend has it that long, long ago, there was a young man who was very handsome and kind-hearted. He made his living by fishing, and every day he had to row a small boat out into the deep sea to fish, but he could not return with a full catch every day, and sometimes he even came back with nothing at all.
Every day the young man saw an old man sitting by the sea fishing. The old man would also mutter: “Fish, fish! Fish, fish! Small fish do not come, big fish do!” After he finished, the bigger fish could be seen swimming toward the old man. The young man said to the old man: “Sir, can you teach me how to catch fish?” The old man slowly raised his head, looked at the young man for a while, and said: “You look like an honest person to me. Do not learn fishing from me. Let me tell you something! Follow the seaside, pass a lake, then pass a river, and you will see a lotus pond. There you will encounter something good.” As he spoke, the old man put away his fishing rod and suddenly disappeared.
The young man was very puzzled. He thought: “This old man must be an immortal. I will do as he said and see what good thing happens.” So the young man went home, prepared some dry rations, and set off.
He walked along the seaside and came to the lake, then walked along the lake and came to the river, then walked along the river, and finally saw a stretch of emerald green ahead. He thought: This must be the lotus pond the old man spoke of! So he quickened his pace. But although the lotus pond did not look far away, no matter how he walked he could not reach it. The young man walked from noon until sunset, and from sunset until the sky was full of stars, and finally arrived at a pond covered with lotus flowers. The scenery here was beautiful. Lotus leaves covered the entire pond one after another, and lotus flowers bloomed all over the leaves, each one beautiful and with a different posture. The moon also looked quiet and gentle. The young man was tired from walking, so he sat down leaning against a tree by the pond and unknowingly fell asleep.
When he woke up, the young man found that everything he had seen before had changed. He was no longer by the lotus pond, but in a mulberry grove. Stars drifted down from the sky and floated among the mulberry trees. In the grove there was a small hut with a light inside and the door open. So the young man walked over and saw a girl sitting there spinning. The girl wore a light green long skirt and a pink top, and from afar she truly looked like a gracefully standing lotus flower. In the girl's black hair was a fresh lotus bud. The young man said: “Miss, may I ask what place this is?” The girl raised her head and said: “You must be tired from walking. Come in and rest!” The young man happily entered the house. The girl did not speak to him again, but only lowered her head and spun thread. The young man saw that the girl spun very quickly, and all he could see were streaks of white light made by the silver ring on her finger. After sitting for a while, the young man said he wanted to leave. The girl did not urge him to stay and saw him out the door.
The young man was somewhat disappointed that the girl had not asked him to stay. He thought: If only I could marry this girl. So he did not leave the mulberry grove, but walked a little farther from the hut and rested there. But unexpectedly, when dawn came the next day, the young man woke up and found that he was still sleeping by the lotus pond. The sun shone on the water, glittering and rippling, and the lotus flowers were blooming with even more delicate beauty.
He waited with difficulty until dark, and the young man found the hut again. The girl was much more enthusiastic than the day before. She cooked a meal for the young man and also mended his clothes. After a while, the young man again said he had to leave, and still the girl showed no intention of asking him to stay.
The young man sat by the lotus pond all night. He thought: I must make things clear to the girl. Early in the morning, the sun came out, the mist over the lotus pond dispersed, the water became clear, and dewdrops still rolled on the lotus leaves. The young man saw one especially large lotus flower and thought to himself: Perhaps this is that girl. Just as the young man was about to pick that lotus flower, with a sudden movement the lotus flower disappeared and turned into the girl. The girl said: “My father does not allow me to associate with mortals. From now on, let us not meet again.” The young man was stunned for a moment, then shed tears in sorrow. He said: “Is there no other way?” Seeing how sincere he was, the lotus girl said: “As long as you treat me well, I will flee far away with you.” The young man said happily: “Then let us go now!” The lotus girl said, “Do not rush. Watch me.” So she pulled the lotus hairpin from her hair, blew on it, and the hairpin turned into a very large walking stick. The lotus girl pulled the young man onto the walking stick, and with a “whoosh” they went up into the sky.
The young man did not dare open his eyes to see how high they were. He only felt the wind blowing “whoosh, whoosh” past his ears. After a while, they stopped on the side of a mountain. There were mountains everywhere here. The young man became worried and said: “There is nothing here. What shall we do?” The lotus girl said: “Do not worry. Watch me.” After saying that, she pointed with the lotus hairpin, and immediately a small patch of good farmland appeared before their eyes. She pointed again, and a house appeared. The young man was extremely excited and hurried into the house to look. He saw that pots, pans, bowls, and basins were all there, and there was even a loom. The lotus girl said: “From now on, you hunt and farm, and I will spin and weave. Then we will not worry about food or clothing.”
The next day, the young man was about to go out hunting. The lotus girl hurried to the door and said: “Take this lotus hairpin with you. If you meet any wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards, just point it at them and they will not dare touch you. But you must never give it to anyone else!” With this protective treasure, the young man went up the mountain to hunt with confidence and boldness. He climbed the high mountain and saw groups of wild rabbits, as well as pheasants, goats, wild horses, and so on. The young man returned with a full load. As soon as he got home, he saw many bolts of cloth on the bed. He knew that the lotus girl must have kept weaving all day without stopping. The young man said: “Take a rest!” The lotus girl smiled and said: “We are going to establish a family and build a life here. I must work a little faster.”
Thus day after day passed. Because of overwork, the lotus girl was no longer as fresh and lovely as before. The young man always said: “Alas! You have grown old from exhaustion!” The lotus girl said nothing.
One day, the young man went out hunting. He walked very far and still met no prey, so he kept walking forward. He walked and walked until he came to the entrance of a pitch-black cave. Out of curiosity, and relying on the lotus hairpin, the young man boldly walked in. The farther in he went, the darker it became, and the farther in he went, the worse the smell became. Suddenly many green lights appeared before his eyes. They turned out to be a pack of wolves. The young man quickly took out the lotus hairpin and pointed it, and the wolves disappeared. As he walked on, a tiger suddenly rushed out. The young man pointed again, and the tiger also disappeared. He gathered his courage and continued inward. There seemed to be a little light ahead, and gradually it became brighter and brighter. It turned out to be the light emitted by a golden door. The young man pushed the door open and went in. He saw a little woman inside, very beautiful. The young man asked: “How did you come to be here?” The woman said: “I originally lived at the foot of the mountain. One day a strange wind came and swept me here, and I do not dare go out.” Then she began to cry. The young man felt great sympathy for her and said: “Do not be afraid. I will take you home.” The woman said: “There is no rush. You have walked all day, so rest first!” Then she brought out fine wine and good food and ate with the young man. The young man completely forgot about the lotus girl. He stayed in the cave with the little woman for who knows how long. At home, the lotus girl waited and waited, but he did not come. She had a premonition in her heart that something had happened to the young man. She was both angry and sad. She sighed and thought: I should still go save him!
Now as for that little woman, she was actually a demoness. She feared the lotus hairpin, so she tried every possible way to get it. So she said to the young man: “How about taking out your precious hairpin and showing it to me?” The young man was off guard and gave it to her. Unexpectedly, as soon as she got the hairpin, she ran out the door. The young man was still wondering what was happening when suddenly the two large doors closed with a “bang”. The room was pitch black. The young man felt around left and right, and there was stone everywhere. He was frightened to death.
The lotus girl knew the young man was in trouble, so she rushed swiftly to save him. She crossed one mountain after another and finally reached the demon's cave. But the cave entrance was blocked by a huge stone. The lotus girl took off the silver ring from her hand, aimed it at the huge stone, and the ring emitted a silver light that pierced through the huge stone like a sword, reaching all the way to where the young man was. The young man was sitting in the cave worrying when he suddenly saw a bright light, and then the lotus girl appeared before him. The young man was very ashamed and said: “I am sorry to you. I really deserve to die!” The lotus girl said: “You really disappointed me. I had two treasures - one was the lotus hairpin, and one was the silver ring. The lotus hairpin could keep me forever young and allow me to go up to the heavens and down to the earth. The silver ring could open the heavens and split the earth, and go through boiling water and fire. Now you...” The lotus girl was too sad to continue.
The young man saw that the lotus girl had truly begun to age, and was becoming uglier and uglier. Just then, the little demoness returned. Holding the lotus hairpin, she laughed triumphantly and said: “What do you think? Now you cannot beat me!” The lotus girl knew that her powers were failing more and more because of her aging, so the best option was to retreat. She pulled the young man and quickly ran out of the cave. The demoness also chased relentlessly, shouting as she chased: “Young man, you are just leaving like this? Do you not remember me?” The lotus girl said: “Do not look back, or even I will not be able to save you!” But the demoness still chased and called. The young man thought: A secret glance back should not matter! So he stole a glance, and unexpectedly, as if bewitched, he ran swiftly toward the demoness, and no one could hold him back. The lotus girl was utterly disappointed and had no choice but to leave by herself.
After returning home, the lotus girl cried and cried in sorrow. Suddenly, the immortal who had been fishing by the sea appeared. He said: “Do not be sad, child. Come with me.” After saying that, he took the lotus girl and flew to the demon's cave. Then the immortal recited a few incantations, and immediately a stream of black air floated out of the cave, and in the black air there was also a lotus hairpin. The immortal said: “That demon has already turned into light smoke. I return the hairpin to you!” The lotus girl put in the hairpin and immediately became young again. In the cave she picked up the young man's clothes and shoes and buried them at the entrance of her home.
After a long time, the lotus girl had turned the former barren mountain into a green forest and built her homeland into a beautiful and prosperous place. At some unknown time, a strange little green plant suddenly grew at the entrance of her home. As long as someone touched it with a hand, or even breathed on it, it would lower its head in shame. Later people called it the “sensitive plant”. Legend says that because the young man had let the lotus girl down, after death he turned into this little plant to express his repentance and guilt.