<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, Sri Lanka and well across the southern part of the United States . 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>

Why do leaflets of mimosa fold when touched