Biology teaches students that significant movement of plant's body parts is not visible to the human eye like animal movements, but one exception is common even in many schoolyards in Bangladesh; the 'touch me not' plant. Many students experience them from the surrounding nature, if not from science books.
Mimosa pudica, also known as the touch me not, shame/humble plant, (lajjabati in bengali) is a flowering plant of fabaceae pea family, native to Central and South America, found colossally around the world. Its popular highlight is certainly its ability to close its leaves when touched but is also well-reputed in pharmacology for its substantial actions in the scientific branch, thereby earning the designation of an herb. The perennial herb has water and other cell contents within the cells exerting an ample amount of force known as turgor pressure against the cell walls of the plant to maintain its rigidity. When touched, particularly by humans or insects, various chemicals like potassium ions are released within the body of the plant, which makes water and electrolytes to diffuse out of the cells, resulting in the loss of the turgor pressure. This causes the cells to lose their turgidity, and results in leaves being pulled shut. Such movement makes the plants look smaller and save them from being eaten by the herbivore insects.
