FACTSHEETS FOR FARMERS
www.plantwise.org
Created in
Vietnam
,
March
2016
Mimosa diplotricha
Recognize the problem
Family: Fabaceae (pea family)
Common names:
Giant sensitive plant
, creeping sensitive plant, nila grass, tropical
blackberry.
Vietnamese
: Trinh nữ móc.
Annual, biennial or evergreen, scrambling, climbing, strongly branched shrub, forming
dense thickets
2
–
3
(–
6
) m tall; woody at the base with age; stems green or purplish
tinged,
4
–
5
-angled in cross-section, covered with sharp, recurved, yellowish spines
(
3
–
6
mm long).
Leaves: Bright-green, alternate along branches; twice-divided (
10
–
20
cm long),
4
–
9
pairs of leaflet branchlets each with
12
–
30
pairs of small elongated leaflets (
6
–
12
mm
long,
1.5
mm wide); leaves fold together at night or when touched.
Flowers: Pinkish-violet or purplish, round heads (
12
mm across); borne singly or in
small groups on hairy stalks (
3.5
–
16
mm long).
Fruits: Pods; green turning brown as they mature; flat, softly spiny on edges,
elongated (
8
–
35
mm long,
3
–
10
mm wide); occur in clusters which break into one-
seeded joints; seeds are light brown (
1.9
mm long,
2.7
mm wide).
Background
Origin: Latin America.
Introduction: For erosion control, nitrogen fixation, hedge and barrier, as a source of
honey and as ornament.
Habitat: Wet tropics and subtropics; prefers high soil fertility.
Spread: By seeds transported by running water, vehicles, machinery, livestock,
humans, as seed contaminant and contaminated earth.
Invades: Crops, plantations, pasture, disturbed areas, wastelands, urban open space,
drainage diches, forest edges/gaps, savannah, wetlands and roadsides.
Impacts:
Mimosa diplotricha
prefers dry land, crop field and roadsides. If
M. diplotricha
reaches high density, cassava root yield can be reduced by
80%
. The species can also
have a direct negative impact on growth, yield and harvesting of sugarcane, but no
direct assessment of the actual economic losses has been made. It readily invades
orchards and rice paddies reducing yields and increasing management costs. It is toxic
to livestock. Dense stands prevent or inhibit the movement of livestock and wildlife.
The weed smothers other plants, shades out light-demanding species and prevents
their natural regeneration. Thickets can impede human activity due to the recurved
spines on the stems. In Vietnam, the weed seriously affects national parks.
Scientific name(s)
>
Mimosa diplotricha
The recommendations in this factsheet are relevant to
:
All Countries
Authors
:
CABI. Edited by Nguyen Van Liem, Nguyen Huy Manh, Vu Bach Ngoc, Vu
Duy Hoang, Ngo Tien Binh, Nguyen Viet Ha
Plant Protection Research Institute (VIỆN BẢO VỆ THỰC VẬT)
tel:
+84(0) 438363563
email:
nguyenvanliem@yahoo.com
Edited by
Plantwise
Plantwise is a global initiative led by CABI
124En
Lose Less, Feed More
Leaves are 10-20cm long, divided
and fold together at night or when
touched.
(Photo by © Arne Witt,
CABI)
Flowers are pinkish-violet or
purplish.
(Photo by © Nguyen Van
Liem)
