Common Name: Giant Sensitive Plant

General Information

Mimosa diplotricha is a straggling or scrambling, short-lived perennial woody shrub or semi-woody herb, with branches to over 5 metres long, rooting at the base and with a strong, elaborate rooting system[].
The plant is cultivated as ground cover, for erosion control and green manure in many areas of the tropics.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, north to the Caribbean and through C America to Mexico

Habitat

Sunny to lightly shaded locations, along drains, water courses and roadsides, in ravines, in annual and perennial crops and secondary forest from sea level to 2,000 metres[]. Restricted to depressions and other damp sites in drier areas[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

Mimosa diplotricha is a plant of the moister tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 2,000 metres[].
Although it prefers light, permeable soils, it can also be grown on heavy clay soils[]. The plant may die during prolonged dry spells[].
The spiny form of this species has been declared a noxious weed in many areas of the tropics[, ]. Seedpods of the spiny forms have spiny surfaces and are easily distributed by animals and farm machinery[]. The plant has a robust habit of growth, scrambling over other plants forming spreading, tangled masses or thickets of undergrowth up to 2 metres tall, eventually forming pure stands[].
The plant can flower and fruit all year round[].
The species has been subdivided into three varieties:-
Var. Inermis (Adelb.) Veldkamp. This is a spineless form that originated in Java. It is still cultivated. It is an excellent soil improver, cover crop and soil binder against erosion in humid areas, but is somewhat less effective in smothering weeds than the spiny form[, ].
Var. Diplotricha. A spiny form, it is distributed all over tropical America and has spread pantropically as a weed. This form used to be cultivated as a green manure, fallow crop and cover crop. However, it is now considered a noxious weed because it aggressively colonizes open spaces, produces large amounts of easily distributed seed and may pose a fire hazard. Because of its spines, it is especially notorious in hand-harvested sugar cane[, ].
Var. Odibilis Barneby. A spiny form that is only known from Mexico[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The spine-free form of the plant is widely cultivated in the tropic, where it makes an excellent ground cover; is planted for erosion control, especially in humid areas; and is an excellent green manure, where its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen helps to enrich the soil[]. It is somewhat less effective in smothering weeds than the spiny form[].
It is planted as a shade plant in rubber plantations in Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia[].
As a cover crop in tree plantations, the spineless forms will last for 1.5 - 2 years (under favourable conditions 4 years) and then gradually die[]. It is cheaper to establish, covers the soil more quickly and can be better established on poorer soils than most other leguminous cover crops[]
Until 1940, the plant was used as a fallow crop in wrapper tobacco cultivation in Deli, Sumatra, because it significantly reduced the incidence of Granville wilt or slime disease caused by Pseudomonas solanacearum. As it was difficult to eradicate the fallow crop later and it slightly reduced the quality of the tobacco leaves, this use has been discontinued[].
The plant is an aggressive colonizer on light and heavy, moist, often poor soils, in sunny to lightly shaded locations[].
Mimosa diplotricha is a host of crickets and grasshoppers that feed on coconut palm and oil palm[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - germinates best if pre-treated by immersing the seed in hot water at 98°c for 90 seconds, or in 98% sulphuric acid for 20 - 30 minutes[]. Dry heat has also given a high germination rate[]. The seed is sown in situ[].
Untreated seed may germinate immediately or remain dormant in the soil for a long period[]. Seed collected about 50 days after flowering gives the highest direct germination rate[].

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