I pointed out the plant to GK, and they were amazed by its name 'Touch-Me-Not'... We attempted to touch the leaves, and GK was so thrilled over the reactions that they saw..The leaves just closed up immediately GK touched on them...
As they were searching and playing with the plants, I started to reminisce about how I used to play with these plants during my kampong days together with my neighbours; where we would step and touch all the leaves that we could find among the grass patches without being being pricked by the stems, and challenged on the collections of the nice light purple flowers... I am now beginning to laugh at myself being so '天真无邪’during my childhood days... hahaha!
Extracted from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_plant
Mimosa pudica is well known for its rapid plant movement. In the evening the leaflets will fold together and the whole leaf droops downward. It then re-opens at sunrise. This type of motion has been termed nyctinastic movement. The leaves also close up under various other stimuli, such as touching, warming, or shaking. The stimulus can also be transmitted to neighbouring leaves. These types of movements have been termed seismonastic movements. The movement is caused by "a rapid loss of pressure in strategically situated cells that cause the leaves to droop right before one’s eyes".
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