The mimosa talks about itself
Sensitive, shy, receptive
We are not talking about a person, but about a plant: the Mimosa pudica.
Frail and pretty, it is a cousin of the yellow mimosa, belonging to the Mimosaceae family.
Its peculiarity? It is said that this plant can experience “shyness” (which explains its name): if you touch it, its leaves close to protect themselves with enchanting delicacy. An almost human dance recalling the embarrassment of a child or the fear of a puppy.
Under the lens of scientists
Its behaviour has not gone unnoticed and has quickly become the subject of many studies.
Several studies have highlighted another of its characteristics: the ability to remember. The Mimosa pudica, in fact, is able to experience, learn and remember which stimuli are dangerous and which, on the other hand, can be considered safe, like drops of water. With the researcher Monica Gagliano and Stefano Mancuso, director of the International laboratory of plant neurobiology and guest at Orticolario 2016 with the event “Verde brillante: una nuova visione delle piante” (Brilliant green: a new vision of plants), the very long memory of Mimosa pudica was highlighted, which is capable of storing “memories” for as long as 40 days.
New scenarios and horizons
This characteristic is a game-changer. Plants, which have always been considered inanimate and helpless, are actually complex creatures, almost guided by a sort of “thought”. We thus enter a new order of ideas, a more complete conception of the vegetable universe.
Pretending to already know everything is silly and presumptuous: plants like the Mimosa pudica remind us that there is still a sea (an ocean) ahead of us to navigate and discover.
Sources
blog.erbecedario.it
gruppomacro.com
greenme.it
life-strategies.it
giunglaurbana.com