North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Mimosa microphylla

Mimosa microphylla Dryand.

eastern sensitive-briar, littleleaf sensitive-briar

Synonym(s): Leptoglottis angustisiliqua, Leptoglottis chapmanii, Leptoglottis microphylla, Mimosa quadrivalvis var. angustata, Morongia angustata, Morongia microphylla, Morongia uncinata, Schrankia angustata, Schrankia microphylla, Schrankia uncinata

Mimosa microphylla (Eastern Sensitive-briar)

Image ID: 15679
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: MIMI22
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mimosa microphylla
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-11-08

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: MIMOS
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Mimosa
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Sensitive plant
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 500 species, herbs, shrubs, trees, and vines, of tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas, especially America. Barneby (1991) and Beard (1963) argue that there are no characters which serve to separate Schrankia from Mimosa.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Unmistakable in our flora for its bipinnate leaves, with tiny (2-4 mm long) leaflets, responding to touch by closing.
GENUS REFERENCES: Barneby (1991)=Y; Isely (1973)=Z; Isely (1998)=I.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: FABACE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Fabaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Lindley 1836 or LEGUMINOSAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Legume Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 730 genera and 20,000 species, trees, shrubs, and herbs, cosmopolitan.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Isely (1990)=SE (throughout the family treatment); Isely (1998)=I; Lewis et al. (2005); Wojciechowski, Lavin, & Sanderson (2004); Wilbur (1963a); Robertson & Lee (1976).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Trailing-sprawling perennial of dry woodlands and forests, especially sandhills, and disturbed areas.
STEMS: Stems weakly arching and sprawling over other plants, covered with hooked hairs.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate; petiolate; 2-times pinnately divided, the ultimate leaflets (9-12 pairs) oblong and sensitive to touch, folding up against each other; also folding at night and in overcast weather.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in round, many-flowered, pom-pom-like clusters (about 3/4 in. wide), on stalks from leaf axils; pink. The most noticeable flower parts are 8-10 prominent pink to rose-purple stamens with yellow anthers.
FRUITS: Fruit a long, slender pod, densely covered with prickles.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 3-6 ft. (long)

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb, Vine

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Jun-Sep

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Pink

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
		x

FRUITING PERIOD: Aug-Nov.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Sandhills
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
8985	1993-0051	0000-00-00	1655	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
7124	8985	51	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
7125	8985	52	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
7126	8985	8	NCBG staff	1996-01-01	View
7127	8985	54	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: MIMI22
USDA Common Name: Littleleaf Sensitive-briar
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Vine, Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mimosa microphylla
COMMON NAME: Eastern Sensitive-briar
SYNONYMY: [= K, Va; = Mimosa quadrivalvis Linnaeus var. angustata (Torrey & A. Gray) Barneby - C, I, WH3, Y; = Schrankia microphylla (Drya nder) J.F. Macbride - F, G, RAB, W; > Leptoglottis microphylla (Dryander) Britton & Rose - S; > Leptoglottis chapmanii Small ex Britton & Rose - S; = Schrankia microphylla (Dryander) J.F. Macbride var. microphylla - SE; > Schrankia microphylla "phase brachycarpa" - Z; > Schrankia chapmanii (Small ex Britton & Rose) F.J. Hermann]
PHENOLOGY: Jun-Sep; Aug-Nov.
HABITAT: Dry woodlands and forests, especially sandhills, disturbed areas.
COMMENTS: DE, WV, and MO south to FL and e. TX. A form with smaller fruits (3-5 cm long vs. 5-12 cm long) has been variously treated as a species [Leptoglottis chapmanii – S, Schrankia chapmanii] or a recurrent fruit-form genotype [phase brachycarpa of Isely (1973)].
RANGE MAP:

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Fabaceae Lindley 1836 or LEGUMINOSAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Legume Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 730 genera and 20,000 species, trees, shrubs, and herbs, cosmopolitan.
REFERENCE: Isely (1990)=SE (throughout the family treatment); Isely (1998)=I; Lewis et al. (2005); Wojciechowski, Lavin, & Sanderson (2004); Wilbur (1963a); Robertson & Lee (1976).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Mimosa L. (Sensitive plant)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 500 species, herbs, shrubs, trees, and vines, of tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate areas, especially America. Barneby (1991) and Beard (1963) argue that there are no characters which serve to separate Schrankia from Mimosa.
REFERENCE: Barneby (1991)=Y; Isely (1973)=Z; Isely (1998)=I.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Mimosa microphylla in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Mimosa microphylla in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Mimosa microphylla in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Mimosa microphylla in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Mimosa microphylla in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Mimosa microphylla

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 15679 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 7861 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 29727 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)