Mimosa Pudica Quiz: The Shy Plant That Folds When Touched
This Mimosa pudica quiz gently touches the leaves of the famous shy plant. Play 10 interactive questions on leaflets folding in seconds, water pressure changes in joints called pulvini, signals spreading through the leaf, closing at night, reopening after minutes, why folding may deter grazers, its pink pom-pom flowers, its native range and an experiment on plant memory.
Start Mimosa Pudica Quiz
🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds
Name
What is Mimosa pudica commonly called?
Touch
What happens when you touch its leaves?
Joint
What swollen joints allow the movement?
How
What causes the folding?
Spread
What happens with a strong touch?
Night
What does the plant do at night?
Reopen
How long until leaves reopen?
Why
Why might folding help the plant?
Flower
What do its flowers look like?
Memory
What did a 2014 experiment suggest?
Your score
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Scroll down to see the explanation for each question.
Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions
- Q1: What is Mimosa pudica commonly called?
Answer: Sensitive plant
It is also called touch-me-not.
- Q2: What happens when you touch its leaves?
Answer: The leaflets fold up
It takes only seconds.
- Q3: What swollen joints allow the movement?
Answer: Pulvini
Cells there lose water.
- Q4: What causes the folding?
Answer: Rapid changes in water pressure in cells
Ions move and water follows.
- Q5: What happens with a strong touch?
Answer: The signal spreads and whole leaves droop
Stems can bend too.
- Q6: What does the plant do at night?
Answer: Folds its leaves
This is a daily rhythm.
- Q7: How long until leaves reopen?
Answer: Several minutes
They slowly spread again.
- Q8: Why might folding help the plant?
Answer: It may deter grazing animals and insects
Folded leaves look wilted.
- Q9: What do its flowers look like?
Answer: Pink pom-poms
They are fluffy balls.
- Q10: What did a 2014 experiment suggest?
Answer: Plants stopped folding after harmless repeated drops
It hinted at a form of memory.
The Shy Plant That Folds Up
Mimosa pudica, called the sensitive plant or touch-me-not, is native to Central and South America and now grows in many warm places. When its leaves are touched, the small leaflets fold up within seconds.
The movement happens at swollen joints called pulvini. Ions move out of certain cells, water follows, and the loss of pressure makes leaflets fold. A strong touch sends a signal along the leaf, so whole leaves droop and even stems bend. Leaves also fold at night and slowly reopen after several minutes once disturbed.
Folding may deter grazing animals and insects, since folded leaves look wilted and expose thorny stems. The plant has fluffy pink pom-pom flowers. In a 2014 experiment, plants repeatedly dropped in a harmless way stopped folding, hinting at a form of memory.
What This Quiz Teaches
Plant fans will enjoy these questions.
- What the plant is
- How it moves
- Why it folds
- What it looks like
- What experiments suggest
Did You Know?
- Children love touching it.
- It can be a weed in some regions.
- Its roots fix nitrogen with bacteria.
- Seeds stay alive for years.
- It grows easily from seed indoors.
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