Mimosa pudica L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Botanic Garden Meise

Photo: Kathy Sheppard
Mombo road, Blantyre

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Status:	Introduced
Description:	Prostrate or straggling annual or perennial herb up to c. 1 m high. Stems sometimes woody near the base, more or less densely covered in rough hairs, sparsely armed with short, prickles. Leaves sensitive, twice compound with (1-)2 pairs of pinnae; rhachis very short, making the leaf appearing palmately divided. Flowers in ovoid-globose heads, c. 1.3 × 1 cm, in the upper leaf axils, lilac or pink. Pods in clusters, 1-2 cm long, densely prickly or bristly on the margins only.
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Worldwide distribution:	Native to South America; an introduced weed in Africa.
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 50 - 51. (Includes a picture). Brenan, J.P.M. (1970). Mimosoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(1) Pages 51 - 53. as var. tetrandra Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 45. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 129. Troupin, G. (1978). Mimosaceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume I Pages 365 - 376. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Mimosa pudica:

Our websites:

Flora of the DRC: Mimosa pudica
Flora of Malawi: Mimosa pudica
Flora of Rwanda: Mimosa pudica
Flora of Zimbabwe: Mimosa pudica

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Mimosa pudica
African Plant Database: Mimosa pudica
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Mimosa pudica
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Mimosa pudica
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Mimosa pudica
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Mimosa pudica
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Mimosa pudica
JSTOR Plant Science: Mimosa pudica
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Mimosa pudica
Plants of the World Online: Mimosa pudica
Tropicos: Mimosa pudica
Wikipedia: Mimosa pudica