The small leaves of the Touch-Me-Not fold inward when touched or shaken.
Pudica means "shy, bashful or shrinking" in Latin. It is not known exactly why Mimosa pudica evolved this trait, but it is believed that the plant uses its ability to shrink as a defense from herbivores. Mimosa pudica is known in Hindi chhui-mui ("that which dies upon touch") and in Bengali as lojjaboti ("the bashful girl"). The species is native to South America and Central America, but is now a weed found in all tropical climates. The species can be a troublesome weed in tropical crops, particularly when fields are hand cultivated. Crops it tends to affect are corn, coconuts, tomatoes, cotton, coffee, bananas, soybeans, papaya, and sugar cane. Dry thickets may become a fire hazard. Aqueous extracts of the roots of the plant have shown significant neutralizing effects in the lethality of the venom of the monocled cobra. It also appears to inhibit the enzyme activity of cobra venom.
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