Mimosa
pudica L.
(Putri Malu)
Picture. 15. Mimosa pudica
(Hidayat & Abdurrahman, 2017)
Classification
Kingdom :
Plantae
Divisi : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order :
Fabales
Family :
Fabaceae
Genus :
Mimosa
Species :
Mimosa pudica
Other Scientific Names
·
Mimosa
hispidula Kunth
·
Mimosa
pudica var. tetrandra
(Willd.) DC.
·
Mimosa
pudica var. unijuga
(Duchass. & Walp.) Griseb.
Description
Mimosa
pudica is a low-growing, much-branched, prickly, perennial
shrub. It grows 15-100 cm tall and may be erect, but more generally has a
trailing, sprawling growth habit. The stems are woody at the base, stiff,
cylindrical, reddish-brown or purple, pubescent and bear scattered prickles
along the internodes. The prickles are 3-4 mm long, compressed, slightly
curved, hard and very sharp. The root is long and robust. The leaves are dark
green, bipinnate and hairy. The pinnae are in two pairs (sometimes only one
pair) arising close together from the tip of the petiole so the arrangement
appears palmate. The petiole is about 2.5 cm long and the pinnae are 2.5-5 cm
long. There are 12-50 leaflets, each 6-12 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, oblong-linear
and pointed, glabrous above but with a hairy margin and lower surface. The
stipules are linear-lanceolate and 7-8 mm long. Leaflets and leaves fold up
rapidly when touched and also close at night. Flowers are bright purplish-pink with
four prominent stamens and occur in globular or ovoid heads about 9 mm in
diameter. The calyx is minute and the corolla is four-lobed and about 2 mm
long. Peduncles, 12-25 mm long, arise from leaf axils, are densely hairy and
carry prickles. Fruits are borne in clusters in the leaf axils. Each fruit is
an oblong, flattened, recurved pod about 8-20 mm long and 2-6 mm wide
containing 1-5 seeds. The pod is pointed at the apex, glabrous, edged with
bristles and breaks into one-seeded segments which fall away from unbroken
marginal sutures when mature. The one-seeded segments bear bristles which aid
in dispersal by animals and man. The seed is light-brown, flattened, 2.5-3 mm
in diameter and with a finely granular surface. Each plant can produce up to
700 seeds in a year (Cabi, 2019).
Spot
Character
Similar with those of Mimosa pigra, but much smaller.
Distribution
America, Asia, and Australia.
Benefit
Medicinal plant
Location
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