PlantFiles: Sunshine Mimosa, Powderpuff, Sensitive Plant
Mimosa strigillosa

I planted this in the front corner of my yard as a ground cover to replace St. Augustine grass. It spreads quickly. One 4" container plant will grow enough to cover about 10 square feet in a years' time. It needs regular water while it is being established in a landscape but once established, it is drought tolerant. When the plant is touched, the leaves fold up and it looks like the plant is all stems. This is an adaptation to prevent herbivory.

When I was growing up in Central Texas near Fort Hood, I saw this plant everywhere. Mostly in fields and pastures, but never in flower beds or landscape. I thought it was just a weed, but I loved to play with it. I would sit and touch the leaves to watch as they folded up or pick the flowers because they were soft and fuffy. Anyways, just thought I would share this because I think it is a neat and interactive plant to have.

(Also known as Verguenza, Herbaceous Mimosa)
Usually growing 3 to 4 inches tall, this native plant is a legume that fixes nitrogen in addition to functioning as a fast growing, mat-forming, evergreen groundcover and can even be substituted for lawn grass. It spreads by rhizomes, can be mowed, usually has bristles (but no spines) and tolerates foot traffic. It grows in sun and light shade and adapts to a wide range of soil acidity levels as well as moisture levels.

Performing best in loamy or sandy soils, it can adapt to about any type of soil. It has excellent salt and drought tolerance and is a great xeriscape plant. Its tiny, fern-like leaves fold back when touched or when there is a strong vibration near them. Showy, globe-shaped, reddish-pink to lavender-rose colored, 1 inch wide blooms are held straight up above the foliage.

In its natural habitats, it can be found in open areas in sandy woodlands, along stream or lake banks, mixed in with brush and along roadsides. It serves as a larval food source for the Little Sulphur, White-striped Longtail Skipper, Mimosa Yellow and Reakirt's Blue butterfly caterpillars. The foliage is browsed by white-tailed deer and cattle.

Note: I want to emphasize that this plant does not have thorns (has soft prickles) so do not confuse it with a young sensitive briar (Mimosa malacophylla) plant.

I found it growing wild in the mountains of South Carolina. And also found near my home in Seneca SC. I live 45 minutes from the first sighting, which was on a dirt road near a river.

i have seen this groowin as a weed, but a weed that i like cuz it is fun to make the leaves close and the flowers look cool. i used to test different things like bugs or the light from a magnifying glass on the leaves or fire from a match (im a pyromaniac) to see what would make the leaves close. i mainly saw pink ones but i have also seen white and yellow ones growing. the yellow one was in Georgia while the rest were in Carolina del Sur (South Carolina in Spanish. i learned that today in Spanish class. i think it sounds cool).

I first received this plant at a plant sale. It quickly grew and flowered, producing many seeds which I left on the plant. The next year while weeding in late June I noticed something move and there were tiny new plants. This dies back completely in my zone but will self seed.
The children love this plant because the leaves fold up, they love to watch a plant move.