Mimosa pigra
It is a woody, thorny, nitrogen-fixing leguminous shrub native to tropical America that forms dense, impenetrable thickets in wet areas, is listed among the world's 100 worst invasive species, and reproduces with long-lived seeds dispersed by water, requiring integrated mechanical, chemical, and biological control.
Common Names
Catclaw Mimosa, Giant Sensitive Plant, Mimosa, Sensitive Plant, Bashful Plant, Giant Mimosa, Black Mimosa, Thorny Sensitive Plant, Giant Sensitive Tree, Dormilona, Dormilona Grande, Amourette
Summary
Catclaw mimosa, or Giant Sensitive Plant, is a woody shrub up to 6 m tall with prickly greenish stems. Leaves are twice-compound and touch-sensitive, folding on contact. Flowers are mauve or pink in fluffy globular heads; seed pods are brown and densely bristly, breaking into 14–26 one-seeded segments; seeds are light brown to olive green and dispersed by water and animals. It forms dense, impenetrable thickets in wetland and riparian habitats, shading out native vegetation and reducing biodiversity. Native to tropical America, it is now widely naturalized in tropical regions and is noted as a weed of national significance in Australia; seed banks may persist for decades, with up to 220,000 seeds per plant produced.
Cultivation requirements and uses: grows in full sun with moist soils, tolerates inundation, and thrives along floodplains, wetlands, and river banks; rapid growth and invasiveness necessitate preventive and rapid response measures, including integrated management using mechanical, chemical, and biological methods; Florida prohibits planting of this species; uses include medicinal applications, green manure, hedges, and fuelwood.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
9 ft 10 in – 19 ft 8 in
Spread
3281-114829 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-11
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
No single ideal soil type; adaptable across a wide range from black cracking clays to coarse siliceous river sand, typically in moist floodplain or riverbank habitats.
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained
Soil pH
6.5
Bloom Color
Pink to mauve
Bloom Time
Year-round bloom in Sri Lanka and Queensland, Spring to Autumn in Northern Territory
Foliage Color
Bright green
Fall Foliage Color
Bright green
Growth Rate
1.1 cm/day (first 90 days after germination)
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- L.
- Publication
- Cent. Pl. I : 13 (1755)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Fabales
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Subfamily
- Caesalpinioideae
- Genus
- Mimosa
Inferior Taxa
Mimosa pigra var. asperata Mimosa pigra var. dehiscens Mimosa pigra var. pigra