SENSITIVE PLANT (Mimosa Pudica)
Also known as Touch Me Not or Rumput Malu, the
mimosa is a low spreading, rather wiry plant with hairy stems bearing sharp
thorns. This native of Tropical America is now a common pan-tropical weed. When
touched, the leaflets and leaves droop in a second; recovery takes a few
minutes. This is due to specialized swellings at the base of the moving parts
containing cells which leak when physically shocked. Mimosa has been used for
treating asthma in the Philippines. The root is rich in tannin and is used for
diarrhea and as a diuretic. In the wasteland of Singapore, one of the pioneer you will often spot is the tree version of the Mimosa called the Giant Sensitive Plant
(Mimosa Pigra)