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| Mimosa | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mimosa |
| Regnum | Plantae |
| Unranked divisio | Angiosperms |
| Unranked classis | Eudicots |
| Unranked ordo | Rosids |
| Ordo | Fabales |
| Familia | Fabaceae |
| Subfamilia | Mimosoideae |
| Genus | Mimosa |
Mimosa Mimosa is a genus of flowering plants in the Fabaceae family noted for sensitive leaves and puffball inflorescences. The genus has been discussed in taxonomic treatments by institutions such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and researchers publishing in journals like Taxon and PhytoKeys. Species within the genus feature in floras from regions ranging from the Neotropics to Africa and have been subjects in studies at universities including University of Oxford, Harvard University, and University of São Paulo.
The genus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century and appears in nomenclatural works by botanists such as Carl Ludwig Willdenow and Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. Modern revisions reference molecular phylogenies published by teams at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Smithsonian Institution, incorporating data from rbcL and matK plastid markers. Classification places the genus in the subfamily Mimosoideae within Fabaceae, with relationships to genera treated in monographs by George Bentham and research by Robert J. Crisp. Taxonomic databases maintained by International Plant Names Index and Plants of the World Online list species; conservation statuses are assessed by organizations such as the IUCN and national red lists like those of Brazil and Madagascar.
Plants in the genus vary from herbs to shrubs and small trees and have bipinnate leaves described in field guides published by the Royal Horticultural Society and the New York Botanical Garden. Inflorescences are often globose heads formed from many small flowers, noted in floras by John Hutchinson and illustrated in works by Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Many taxa exhibit rapid nyctinastic and seismonastic movements studied in experiments at institutions including the Max Planck Society and University of Cambridge. Seed pods are typical of Fabaceae and are described in keys from the Flora of North America and the Flora Brasiliensis project initiated by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.
Species occur primarily in the New World, with centers of diversity recorded in South America, particularly in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. Other species are native to parts of Africa, Asia, and some Pacific islands documented by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and regional herbaria like the National Herbarium of the Netherlands. Habitats include savannas, grasslands, disturbed sites, riparian corridors and secondary forests; these associations are reported in ecological surveys by Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund for ecoregions like the Amazon Basin and the Cerrado.
Mimosa species interact with a range of organisms: they form nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium genera identified by microbiologists at Wageningen University. Flowers attract pollinators including bees in studies by the Entomological Society of America, butterflies catalogued by the Lepidopterists' Society, and nectar-feeding birds like hummingbirds documented by researchers at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Some species are hosts for insects such as leaf-folding caterpillars and gall-makers reported in entomological surveys by Smithsonian Institution. Invasive dynamics have been assessed in reports by agencies such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and national plant protection organizations including the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Several species are used in traditional medicine systems documented in ethnobotanical studies from institutions like University of California, Berkeley and National Autonomous University of Mexico. Uses include treatments recorded in compendia such as the World Health Organization monographs and regional pharmacopeias. Fiber and forage use is reported in agricultural reports by the Food and Agriculture Organization and national ministries of agriculture like those of India and Brazil. The sensitive leaf movement has inspired cultural references in literature and art, appearing in botanical illustrations by Maria Sibylla Merian and in poems catalogued in national libraries including the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Cultivation techniques appear in manuals from horticultural societies such as the Royal Horticultural Society and extension publications by land-grant universities including Iowa State University and University of Florida. Propagation is commonly by seed; studies on germination are published in journals like Seed Science Research. Management of invasive species is treated in guides by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization and control programs coordinated by agencies such as the USDA and state departments of natural resources including California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Phytochemical analyses conducted at laboratories in institutions like University of São Paulo and University of Tokyo identify alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids and terpenoids in various species; findings appear in journals such as Journal of Natural Products and Phytochemistry. Studies on plant electrophysiology and rapid leaf movements were advanced by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles and University of Leeds, linking mechanosensitive ion channels to observable behavior. Investigations into antimicrobial and antioxidant properties are reported by research groups at Johns Hopkins University and University of Sydney and have informed preliminary ethnopharmacological assessments submitted to regional health authorities including the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency.