Touch Me Not (TMN)

Mimosa Pudica (MP): Botanical term of Touch Me Not plant.

When we were in fifth standard,our science teacher taught us different type or color soils are present in nature. For our school exhibition he brought some seven types of soil. Dont know from where he collected. But quite good to see those colored soils. Because we were knowing Black Soil and the Red soil. He brought for us Whitish, yellowish, greenish etc., Here it is not possible to mix chemical colors for soil(for different looking), if we mix also it is to determine by smell of soil. He explained to few students and told them to explain for all the visitors. Few Boys became busy to explain the things as told by teacher.

For us we need to set one unusual thing to all visitors. So we thought to bring Touch Me Not(TMN) tree from the nearest cities like Dharwad and Sirsi due to its nonavailability in Gadag. But we faced the difficulty in weather condition of Gadag. When we brought the plant from Sirsi, it is withstanding only for 2-3 days. Gadag is not suitable area for this plant. Next we moved for different experiment based on Physics.

Here I will stop my flash back, I will concentrate on TMN plant,other name for this plant is "Shyness Grass". It is the plant when we touches the plant, leaves goes inward. The leaves of the TMN protect themselves by performing a disappearing act.When a grasshopper or a locust lands on the plant, the rows of feathery, small leaflets that rise from either side of the TMN's stems, suddenly fold upwards and appear like unappetising twigs. If this does not make the insect lose interest and fly away, the leaves make a downward movement to expose their thorny stems, thus baffling the insect and driving it away.

This we called at that time Self Protection of course it is. But the Science behind this plants is hard stone.

TMN is well known for its rapid plant movement.

Like a number of other plant species, it undergoes changes in leaf orientation termed "sleep". The foliage closes during darkness and reopens in light.[1]The leaves also close under various other stimuli, such as touching, warming, blowing, or shaking. These types of movements have been termed seismonastic movements.

The movement occurs when specific regions of cells lose turgor pressure, which is the force that is applied onto the cell wall by water within the cell vacuoles and other cell contents. When the plant is disturbed, specific regions on the stems are stimulated to release chemicals which force water out of the cell vacuoles and the water diffuses out of the cells, producing a loss of cell pressure and cell collapse; this differential turgidity between different regions of cells results in the closing of the leaflets and the collapse of the leaf petiole.

This process is called Osmosis in Physics or Chemistry.

This characteristic is quite common within the Mimosoideae subfamily of the legume family, Fabaceae. The stimulus can also be transmitted to neighboring leaves. It is not known exactly why Mimosa pudica evolved this trait, but many scientists think that the plant uses its ability to shrink as a defense from predators. Animals may be afraid of a fast moving plant and would rather eat a less active one. Another possible explanation is that the sudden movement dislodges harmful insects.

This much I cant explain to my friends of Primary.



"For everything,nature has the answer,
For every answer, Science has the Question,
So dont worry, you will get the answer,
But,Why the life Exists?"





mpshridhar


References:

1)^ Raven, Peter H.; Evert, Ray F.; Eichhorn, Susan E. (January 2005). "Section 6. Physiology of Seed Plants: 29. Plant Nutrition and Soils". Biology of Plants (7th ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. pp. 639. LCCN 2004-053303. ISBN 978-0-7167-1007-3. OCLC 56051064.

2) Wikipedia

3) Google images.