Powderpuffs and……pie???

I took this picture yesterday and realized some of you may be unfamiliar (as I was 6mos ago) with the pink flowering vine in the foreground.

I saw this plant–Mimosa Strigillosa–growing in dense mats where the street was being renovated outside of McDonald’s in Ft. Pierce. I liked the “powderpuffiness” and noted it spread via criss-crossing rhizomes. With just a few tugs, I dislodged a nice long stem….with taproot!!  When I got home, a new container plant was borne:  🙂

M. Strigillosa is commonly called Sensitive Plant: touch the pinnate leaves and in less than 2 seconds they fold into thin, tight lines…pretty amazing! . The inflorescence is made up of many florets with 10 or fewer free-standing pink stamens. The shiny “tip” at the end of each stamen is pollen.

This vine spreads FAST!  I’ve gotten 4 additional containers from the original pot!  If you grow it in-ground, do so ONLY in lieu of grass. I’ve seen it used for a bright, colorful look on sidewalk medians and narrow strips between driveways and houses.  It grows well in Zones 8B-11 and is tolerant of full sun and partial shade. Interesting fact: If grown in shade, the leaves will be 3x longer and twice as wide as those of their sunnier grown counterparts!

And now, an update on the unusual cristate succulent I received for Mother’s Day.

To be candid, I didn’t expect this plant would grow; I assumed the graft-stock on the bottom MIGHT get a bit taller….but that’s about it!

We all know what they say about people who assume, yeah? 🙄

Look at me grow!!! 🙂

Faaa-reaky!!!  What a wierd tumor-looking, growth thingy!!  I can’t decide if it looks like a wedge of pie or a broccoli floret, but either way, I LOVE it! 🙂

Until next time, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite clips from season 3 of The Odd Couple TV series: The Assume Scene:

🙂 🙂 🙂

Related articles

• Sunshine Mimosa (myfloridameadow.wordpress.com)
• Plant That Plays Dead When Touched by Humans Goes Viral (dailytech.com)

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• Florida Gardening
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• Mimosa Strigillosa