<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Binomial name </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Mimosa pudica L . </Td> </Tr> <P> Mimosa pudica (from Latin: pudica "shy, bashful or shrinking"; also called sensitive plant, sleepy plant, Dormilones, touch - me - not, or shy plant) is a creeping annual or perennial herb of the pea family Fabaceae often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, defending themselves from harm, and re-open a few minutes later . The species is native to South America and Central America, but is now a pantropical weed . It can also be found in Asia in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Japan and Sri Lanka . It grows mostly in undisturbed shady areas, under trees or shrubs . </P> <P> Mimosa pudica was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753 . The species epithet, pudica, is Latin for "bashful" or "shrinking", alluding to its shrinking reaction to contact . </P>

Plant that leaves close when you touch it