Mimosa latidens
Family: Fabaceae
Description: Sprawling perennial with many small prickles up to 1 m long. Leaves alternate, twice compound, sensitive to the touch, up to 5 cm long; pinnae up to 3 pairs; leaflets up to 12 pairs per pinna up to 1 cm long. Flowers heads d1.5-2 cm wide, pink to lavender-rose.
Field Identification: Low forming vining mat with prickles along stems; leaflets sensitive to the touch; puffball (mimosa-like) flower on stalk.
Plant Trivia: This is a fun curiosity for kids. Touching the leaves causes them to fold along the leaflet midvein. Presumably this is to reduce herbivory.
Occurrence: Frequently found on sandy soils in prairies and openings and on island dunes all along the Texas Coastal Bend. Southern Louisiana, east Texas, and northeastern Mexico.
Bloom Period: Spring-Fall
Plant Use: Good ground cover. Pollinator source for many insects. Seeds for some birds and small mammals.
Dichotomous Key: There are six species of the genus Mimosa in the Texas Coastal Bend. For further information utilize Plants of the Texas Coastal Bend by Roy L. Lehman, Ruth O’Brein & Tammy White
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