Mimosa Species, Catclaw Sensitive Brier, Little-Leaf Mimosa, Pink Sensitive Briar, Shame Vine

I have been looking for seeds or the plant itself for a ground cover in my yard but have only found the mimosa pudica, which is an annual...Read More where I live in Tennessee. I saw this plant growing on the Brasstown Falls trail in South Carolina and had never seen it before. I touched its leaves while looking at the flower and saw them curl up in response to my touch. it is a really neat feature that it is "sensitive."

I like it. It grows in my meadow mostly along the border with the woods. Very pretty.

I Do NOT Like this Plant and Have plenty of them dont recomend them to any one they spread like fire ants and are just as Bad ;>(
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So Said The Sarge

I have only seen this plant in its native environment so I am unable to evaluate it. Unlike the mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) which o...Read Moreriginally occurred from Iran to Japan and now can be found across North America, littleleaf mimosa is a native plant found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. It is considered "very rare" and subject to possible extirpation in Virginia. It inhabits mostly sandy or silty soils of woodland openings, prairies, and grasslands.

This is a perennial herbaceous vine that has a taproot and has 3 to 6 foot stems. Sometimes it grows along the ground and over other plants. Other times it finds vertical support such as a fence. The leaves are are doubly compound; that is, the petioles come off the stems and are divided into leaflets that, in turn, are divided into subleaflets. These subleaflets are less than 1/4 of an inch long and are prominently veined on the lower surface.

Along the main vine, on the midrib of the main leaf petiole and on the flower stalk are 1/8 inch long decurved thorns which are very sharp. Any touching of the leaves or strong vibration near the plant produces a reaction that causes the the leaflets to point away from the main vine as the subleaflets fold together. Thus, the spines are exposed which protects the plant from herbivores.

The 1/2 to 3/4 an inch in diameter globe-like flower clusters occur along the stem at the tip of leafless stalks. Each cluster consists of many individual flowers which have sets of five petals that are fused into tubes, long anther stalks and multiple stamens. At the ends of the stamens are teensy "dots" that carry pollen at their tips. The rows of tiny seeds are located in 3" to 6" awl-shaped spiny pods. In its root nodes are bacteria which collect nitrogen which is released into the soil.