Family: Fabaceae
Common name: Touch me not, Shy plant, Sleepy plant, Sensitive plant, Sleepy grass, Touch-and-die, Humble plant, Action plant, Shameplant, Dorme-dorme, Lajjavati, Lajwanti, Thottavadi, Lajja, Thotta surungi, Chui-mui, Thottalvadi, Nachige mullu, Muttidare muni, Olamucchaga
You could spend a lot of this time with this pretty plant, teasing and tickling the leaves and then waiting for them to wake up. Touch me not plants creep along the ground; a single plant covering a large area filled with prickly stems, sensitive leaves, and pretty pink flowers.
Plant Characteristics
Touch me not plants grow to a height of 20-40 cm with long, green stems that spread horizontally along the ground. Roots are fibrous and shallow, helping the plant absorb water and nutrients from a larger area.
The long stems have prickly thorns and are capable of rooting at the nodes where they touch the soil, one of the reasons these plants can quickly become invasive.
Leaves of Touch me not plants are pinnately compound, which means that each leaf is made up of numerous smaller leaflets. Each leaf is 4-6 cm long and each leaflet is about 1 cm long.
The stems and the lower surface of the leaves are covered with tiny white hairs, giving the plant a fuzzy texture.
The leaves fold inward and droop when touched, shaken, or blown upon, but come back to normal after a while. The pulvinus, a small bulge at the base of the leaves is mainly responsible for this folding action called thigmonasty, which it transmits to the pulvini of neighboring leaves.
Touch me not flowers are very pretty indeed – small, pink, rounded, pom-pom-like beauties that bloom in abundance during the summer season. Each flower is 2-3 cm in diameter with numerous thread-like stamens that give them a fluffy ball-like appearance.
These flowers blooming in abundance can attract small insects, bees, and butterflies, that help pollinate the flowers.
Fruits of the Touch Me Not plant are small pods that are typical of the Fabaceae family of Green peas and Beans. These seed pods are 2-3 cm long, initially green and later turning brown in color, and contain small, hard seeds.
Growing Tips
Touch me nots are wild plants and are usually not grown in home gardens. They can be grown as an interesting plant that can entertain children with the sleeping movement of the leaves.
However, since these plants grow quickly and have thorns, they are difficult to remove from the ground. Remember this before you plant Touch me nots in your garden. Planting them in small pots can help restrict the spreading of the plant.
They need good sunlight and warm, humid weather with plenty of rainfall. These plants do not need watering, fertilization, pruning, or pesticide application.
They might dry out and die during summer, but the plant is capable of producing new plantlets in summer from the seeds that fall to the ground and stay dormant till suitable conditions arise.
They are closely related to Mimosa diplotricha or Giant sensitive plant, which have similar leaves and flowers, but can grow much bigger and taller.
Uses of Touch Me Nots
Though Touch me not plants are considered as invasive weeds, especially in agricultural land, they have some uses as well.
Parts of the plant are used in the treatment of inflammation, asthma, leprosy, fatigue, blood-related ailments, and uterine diseases.
In large-scale cultivation, Mimosa could become a weed affecting the growth of other crops. But it’s good at absorbing heavy metals such as copper and lead from the soil making it better.
Like other plants in the Fabaceae family, Mimosa roots develop nodules that grow nitrogen-fixing bacteria, that can absorb atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into a form of nitrogen that can be used by the plants.
They made excellent ground covers in areas that are prone to soil erosion. Their spreading stems and fibrous roots can form a thick covering over the soil, holding fast to the valuable and nutrient-rich topsoil.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds and stem cuttings.
Pieces of stem can root at the nodes, forming new plants, one of the reasons Touch me nots can turn very invasive.
Photographed at: Koonammavu, Kerala; Thrissur, Kerala; Wayanad, Kerala
