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Mimosa

File:Mimosa_flowers_01.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Mimosa is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar) as well as the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (mimos), 'actor' or 'mime', and the feminine suffix -osa, 'resembling', suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'.

OverviewAI-generated

Mimosa is a genus within the plant kingdom, classified under the phylum Tracheophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Fabales, and family Fabaceae. The scientific name is listed as Mimosa L., with the authority attributed to L. The taxon is recognized as an accepted genus. Members of this genus possess either four or eight stamens.

Records for Mimosa are held by several institutions, including GH, ECOSUR, UACH, CICY, and CIBNOR, primarily in Mexico. The genus has 292,130 occurrence records and 9,529 records associated with 2,073 media files. Additionally, there are 42,989 observations and 1,083 related entries in scientific literature. The common name Persian silk tree is also associated with the taxon.

Synthesized by Vinony from 38 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, iNaturalist, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, WoRMS, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Persian silk tree

Mimosa

GENUS

  1. KingdomPlantae
  2. PhylumTracheophyta
  3. ClassMagnoliopsida
  4. OrderFabales
  5. FamilyFabaceae
Observations42,989
Observations recorded292,130

General: of Mimosa have 4 or 8 stamens, and across the genus, stamen number

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records
9,529
With media
2,073
Family
Fabaceae
Collections
GH, ECOSUR, UACH, CICY, CIBNOR, IBUNAM
Recorded in
Mexico

Research

1,083 papers

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Mimoseae
Image
Mimosa pudica 2.jpg
Show 9 more facts
Commons category
Mimosa
taxon rank
genus
taxon name
Mimosa
topic's main category
Category:Mimosa
Commons gallery
Mimosa
taxon common name
mimoza
taxonomic type
Mimosa sensitiva
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

5 sections
Contents
  • Taxonomy
  • Description
  • Species
  • References
  • External links

Mimosa is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar) as well as the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (mimos), 'actor' or 'mime', and the feminine suffix -osa, 'resembling', suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'.

Two species in the genus are especially notable. One is Mimosa pudica, commonly known as touch-me-not, which folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. It is native to southern Central and South America but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as a houseplant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics. Outdoor cultivation has led to weedy invasion in some areas, notably Hawaii. The other is Mimosa tenuiflora, which is best known for its use in shamanic ayahuasca brews due to the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine found in its root bark.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mimosa” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (20)