my biology assignment

haha... this is my group biology assignment.. haha... just share to u all.. cause the lecturer need us put in the blog... haha... but dun worry... i din put here lah... i put it in other blog... give comment see is it ok or not? haha...


Mimosa
Species name – Mimosa pudica

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Rosidae
Orde : Fabales
Family : Mimosaceae

Introduction:

Mimosa pudica is a small, weedy plant and originally from Brazil. It is a small plant with its unique characteristic. The special characteristic of this plant is on the leaves. When you touch the leaves, they will almost instantaneously fold together and the leaf stalk droops.This sometimes sets off a chain reaction, with several leaf stalks falling on top of one another, causing the collapse of a whole section of foliage, or perhaps the whole plant. It will actually re-opening within several minutes. This touch-induced movement of the mimosa leaf is known as thigmonasty. The leaves also drop at night, when exposed to rain or excessive heat. During the night the leaves will fold and bend in a movement as known as nyctonastic movements, because it is the reaction absence of light. It is also a ground dwelling plant and sometimes will found in roadside or at the moist waste ground rarely 3-6" in height. Mimosa pudica is the scientific name and it is derived from the Greek, and the meaning of the Mimosa word is “a mimic” which alludes to the sensitivity of the leaves. By the way, the word Latin “pudica” is means bashful, retiring and also shrinking. Mimosa pudica is among the 400topical species of hot zone of America origin of the Mimosa kind, some are grasses, bushes, lianas and trees.

Description

Mimosa pudica also known as “ sensitive plants” cannot survive in low temperature. Usually it will grow in tropical climate. This plant grows on most well drained soil and warm places.This is because they enjoy full sun ,warm temperatures ,and also moderate temperature. It has small and prickly stems. Mimosa pudica plant has a small, prostrate, and short-lived shrub. It height is around 1m when it is supported by vegetation and more than 2m in the horizontal extension. Besides, it has a reddish-brown woody stem which are sparsely and densely armed with curved prickles. The leaves for the mimosa plant is consider as a compound leaves. They leaves are bininnate compound which means that they are compound leaves with many leaflets arranged on side-branches off the main axis, with one or two pinnae pairs and around 10-26 leaflets per pinna. Thus they give the plant like a fern-like appearance. Besides, it also can seen the floret petals which is red in colour in their upper part and it filaments are in pink to lavender colour. Mimosa pudica plant also have fruits and it fruits consists of clusters of 2-8 from 1-2cm long and prickly on the margins. The fluffy, ball shaped pink flowers come out in the summer. Each flower consists of hundred of the filaments so that it can pollinate by the wind and insects. This kind of pollination can make the plant continue to grow. Furthermore, it has hard seed coats which restrict germination. Besides, it folds up it leaves when touched or exposed to a flame so that it is sensitive plant.

Habitat
Mimosa plant grows in moist, rich soil with low nutrient concentration. and warm temperature places. Generally, it grows wild in the open field, on roadside, bushes, croplands, orchards, pastures and mowed areas. Sometimes they can be found in garden. It may grow as a single plant or in tangled thickets. The plant is required disturbed soil to make itself stable. The repeated burning may encourage it spread. This plant grows from near sea level up to 1300 m in elevation and in areas with annual precipitations from about 1000 to over 2000 mm.

The Benefits of Mimosa pudica
The roots can be used for make tea. Wash and clean the roots of the Mimosa pudica then boiled into pot of water, and it will become tea. This tea helps to remove kidney stones or kidney disorder. Besides that, it root can be used to reduce the toothache. It also arrests bleeding and fastens the wound healing process and it mainly used to treat gynecological disorders, for examples dysfuntional uterine bleeding, cervical cancer. Furthermore, it also can cure skin diseases, bronchitis, general weakness, and neurological problems ( disorder of nervous system).
Not only the roots, the leaves also can be used for treatment. By bolied the leaves in water for a half hour, we can get the liqud for obesity or diabetes treatment. Drink it hot or cold. Besides that, the concussion of boiled leaves can be used to treat sore throat, hoarness, hypertension and urinaty complaints. The taste of herbal from this plant is tastes good unlike the other herbal plants which has bitter taste.
The seeds of mimosa plant contain mimosine, and extracts of the plant help moderate diuretic, promote regeneration and reduce menorrhagia. Some of the countries use mimosa pudica plant as a traditional medicine.


References:

Bui L.D. Mimosa Pudica. [Online Article]. Retrieved on 16 March 2010. Retrieved from http://www.bio.miami.edu/mimosa/mimosa.html

Mimosa Pudica (2010). [Online Encyclopedia]. Retrieved on 16 March 2010. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_pudica

Neurological Disorder (2010). [Online Encyclopedia]. Retrieved on 16 March 2010. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurological_disorder

Gynecology. [Online Article]. Retrieved on 16 March 2010. Retrieved from http://www.stronghealth.com/services/womenshealth/gynecology/commonconditions.cfm


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