Mimosa

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Mimosa
Mimosa flowers 01.jpg
Mimosa flower heads
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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
L.
Species

About 600 species

Synonyms [1]
  • AcanthopteronBritton (1928)
  • EburnaxRaf. (1836)
  • HaitimimosaBritton (1928)
  • LeptoglottisDC. ex Raspail (1827)
  • LomoplisRaf. (1838)
  • MimosopsisBritton & Rose (1928)
  • MorongiaBritton (1894)
  • NeomimosaBritton & Rose (1928)
  • PteromimosaBritton (1928)
  • SchranckiastrumHassl. (1919)
  • SchrankiaWilld. (1806), nom. cons.
  • SensitivaRaf. (1838)

Mimosa is a genus of about 600 [2] species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. 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 the Greek word μῖμος (mimos), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -osa, "resembling", suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'. [3] [4]

Contents

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 and South America 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 in some areas, notably Hawaii. The other is Mimosa tenuiflora , which is best known for its use in shamanic ayahuasca brews due to the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine 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

Mimosa pudica leaves closing when touched

Members of this genus are among the few plants capable of rapid movement; examples outside of Mimosa include the telegraph plant, Aldrovanda , 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 on mimosas in 1729 provided the first evidence of biological clocks. [5]

Mimosa can be distinguished from the large related genera, Acacia and Albizia , since its flowers have ten or fewer stamens. Botanically, what appears to be a single globular flower is actually a cluster of many individual ones. Mimosas contain some level of heptanoic acid.

Species

Mimosa pudica Mimosa-pudica-flower.jpg
Mimosa pudica
Mimosa diplotricha in Kerala, India Mimosa diplotricha,.jpg
Mimosa diplotricha in Kerala, India
Mimosa scabrella in London Fabales - Mimosa scabrella 1.jpg
Mimosa scabrella in London
Mimosa pigra in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia Mimo pigra 080209-4579 ckoep.jpg
Mimosa pigra in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

There are about 590 species including: [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mimosoideae</span> Subfamily of legumes

The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals that are twice divided (valvate) in bud and with numerous showy, prominent stamens.

<i>Cassia</i> (genus) Genus of legumes

Cassia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, and the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Species are known commonly as cassias. The genus includes 37 species and has a pantropical distribution. Species of the genera Senna and Chamaecrista were previously included in Cassia. Cassia now generally includes the largest species of the legume subtribe Cassiinae, usually mid-sized to tall trees.

<i>Abarema</i> Genus of legumes

Abarema is a neotropical genus in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela. Most of the species can be found in the Amazon Basin and the Guyana Highlands. They have a deep-green fernlike foliage, with bipinnately compound leaves.

<i>Sesbania</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Sesbania is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus found in tribe Sesbanieae. Riverhemp is a common name for plants in this genus. Notable species include the rattlebox, spiny sesbania, and Sesbania sesban, which is used in cooking. Plants of this genus, some of which are aquatic, can be used in alley cropping to increase the soil's nitrogen content. The species of rhizobia responsible for nitrogen fixation in Sesbania rostrata is Azorhizobium caulinodans.

<i>Calliandra</i> Genus of legumes

Calliandra is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It contains about 140 species that are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.

<i>Arenaria</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the pink family Caryophyllaceae

Arenaria is a genus of flowering plants, within the family Caryophyllaceae.

<i>Senna</i> (plant) Genus of flowering leguminous plants

Senna, the sennas, is a large genus of flowering plants in the legume family. This diverse genus is native throughout the tropics, with a small number of species in temperate regions. The number of species is estimated to be from about 260 to 350. The type species for the genus is Senna alexandrina. About 50 species of Senna are known in cultivation.

<i>Dalea</i> Genus of legumes

Dalea is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as prairie clover or indigo bush. Its name honors English apothecary Samuel Dale (1659–1739). They are native to the Western hemisphere, where they are distributed from Canada to Argentina. Nearly half of the known species are endemic to Mexico. Two species of Dalea have been considered for rangeland restoration.

<i>Albizia lebbeck</i> Species of legume

Albizia lebbeck is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions, including Australia. Common names in English include siris, Indian siris, East Indian walnut, Broome raintree, lebbeck, lebbek tree, frywood, koko and woman's tongue tree. The latter name is a play on the sound the seeds make as they rattle inside the pods. Siris is also a common name of the genus Albizia.

Pseudalbizzia pistaciifolia is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

<i>Pithecellobium</i> Genus of legumes

Pithecellobium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes approximately 23 species from the tropical Americas, ranging from Mexico to Peru and northern Brazil, including the Caribbean Islands and Florida.

<i>Zygia</i> Genus of legumes

Zygia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes 60 species of tres and shrubs native to the tropical Americas, from Southern Mexico and Cuba to northern Argentina. Typical habitats are tropical forest and coastal zones, generally below 900 meters elevation with a few species extending up to 2800 meters. It belongs to the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.

<i>Paraserianthes</i> Species of legume

Paraserianthes lophantha, the Cape Leeuwin wattle, Bicol wattle, Cape wattle, crested wattle or plume albizia, is a fast-growing tree with creamy-yellow, bottlebrush like flowers. It is the sole species in genus Paraserianthes.

<i>Galactia</i> Genus of legumes

Galactia is a genus of plants in the legume family (Fabaceae). It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae and tribe Diocleae They do not have an unambiguous common name, being commonly called milk peas, beach peas or wild peas. They are perennial herbs or subshrubs with prostrate, climbing, or erect forms.

<i>Robrichia schomburgkii</i> Species of legume

Robrichia schomburgkii is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mimosa L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  2. "Caesalpinoideae". Legume Data Portal. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  3. Gledhill, D. (2008). The Names of Plants (4 ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 356. ISBN   978-0-521-86645-3.
  4. Austin, Daniel F. (2004). Florida ethnobotany Fairchild Tropical Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona: with more than 500 species illustrated by Penelope N. Honychurch ... [et al.] Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 58. ISBN   9780203491881.
  5. Neuroscience; Bear, Connors, Paradiso
  6. "Mimosa L." Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 31 August 2022.