Mimosa pigra
Content
Description
Scrambling or climbing shrub to c. 4 m high.
Leaves:
Inflorescences consisting of pedunculate glomerules, solitary or paired in the upper leaf-axils, peduncles c. 2 cm long, hispid.
Flowers sessile, bisexual, tetra- merous.
Stamens 8, filaments pink.
Ovary 1.5 mm, densely velutinous.
Seeds grey-brown, oblong, biconvex, 5-5.5 by 2.5 mm.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Jawa (Jawa present); New Guinea present; Sumatera (Sumatera present), Pantropical present, tropical Asia present, tropical South America present
Tropical South America, but now pantropical and spreading rapidly in tropical Asia; in Malesia recorded from Sumatra, Java, New Guinea.
Notes
The glomerules are covered by thick, acroscopic hairs. Already in 1855 naturalized in Java; now a serious weed. Verdcourt (1989) proposed to conserve the name of this very widespread species [against M. pellita Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd., that was proposed as the legal name for the species by Barneby (l.c.)]. The present treatment follows that proposal.
Citation
Nielsen 1981: p. 34. – In: Fl. Camb. Laos Vietnam: pl. 5: 8-14
Verdc. 1979: Manual New Guin. Legum.: 151
Miq. 1855 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 43
Verdc. 1989 – In: Taxon: 522
Barneby 1989 – In: Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb.: 129
Backer & Bakh. f. 1963 – In: Fl. Java: 561
Burkill 1935 – In: Diet. Econ. Prod. Mai. Pen.: 1499