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| Photo credit: www.ogrodysklep.pl |
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Sensitive Plant
The fern-like plant I mentioned in the previous post is called the "Sensitive Plant", or Mimosa pudica. This perennial herb is native to South and Central America, but has invaded tropical environments around the globe. Like many other plants, the leaves close at night and reopen in the morning. In addition, a stimulus of touch, wind, or shaking causes chemicals to be released which drive water out of the plant cells, decreasing turgidity and causing the leaflets to collapse inward. The response can be transmitted to all the leaves on a single stem. The leaves reopen after a few minutes. A local told me the flowers are great for the nervous system, one a day keeps the doctor away!
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How funny! A couple of my dental school friends and I were talking last night about ferns of this type and I had no idea about them!
ReplyDeleteThat is totally fascinating. Good photo (yours?). You really ought to capture video of things like that. Use that SX 120 IS, buddy.
ReplyDeleteOh, I see. Not your photo.
ReplyDeleteThank you for answering! I thought it was this one, I just wanted to be sure! I just love how it responds to touch. It would be great if we could get one at the greenhouse, eh?
ReplyDeleteI got a nice video (and pictures) of the plant (after posting this, of course). Sorry to disappoint, JR :)
ReplyDeleteDr. Spencer Hall informed me that there is a poem entitled "The Sensitive Plant", by Percy Shelley. You can read it at http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/11418/ - it's quite good, actually!
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