Mimosa pigra

[Gunter]

I know this species is considered invasive.

Seeing as how it is related to and even able to be confused with the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica I was wondering if the alkaloid content of the pigra has been looked at.

My seedlings of pseudo-hostilis have floral traits of the pigra... I have recently come to wonder if that is what they might be.

[Gunter]

Native : Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Venezuela

[Gunter]

The root yields 10% tannin. Medicine: M. pigra is used in tropical Africa as a tonic and for diarrhoea, gonorrhoea and blood poisoning. In Tanzania, the powdered leaf is taken with water to relieve swelling. In Zambia, the root ash is sprinkled over leprous patches on the skin. The root is apparently aphrodisiac to some persons and calming to others. The seed is emetic and an expectorant and is used for tooth troubles. The leaf is said to contain mimosine; it is purgative and perhaps tonic.

Mature seeds show only 2% germination under normal laboratory conditions. Seed dormancy is due to the impermeability of the seed coat to water when the mc drops below 10% of fresh weight. Immersing the seed in boiling water for 1-2 minutes breaks dormancy; the result is about 98% germination. M. pigra seeds also germinate profusely after burning.

[Gunter]

The seeds for pigra are different than my pseudo-hostilis, but far closer to that then they (the pigra seeds) are to pudica seeds I bought last year. The photographs of pigra look damn close to my pseudo-hostilis.

Maybe one of the entheo-mimosas that sees traditional use in Brazil is a pigra ally?

Pigra is called black mimosa...

Here for comparison is mimosa pigra seed:

And a photo of the plant itself

One can find M. pigra under the name M. pellita as well.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Archaea

[Gunter]

I found a plant that looks like it is allied with mimosa pigra, it has seeds identical in photograph to the pseudo-hostilis. It looks identical to the pseodo-hostilis.

It is called Mimosa diplotricha. you can google the name to get images of it, it's flowers and it's downward pointing spikes or thorns. I think that the pseudo-hostilis is M. diplotricha based on the looks of the plant, the flowers and the seeds.

Alternative Name(s): Mimosa invisa, Creeping Sensitive Plant.

Family: Fabaceae.

Form: Shrub

Origin: Native of Brazil.

Flowers/Seedhead: Flowers: In 1–3 pink fluffy balls about 1.2 cm wide on stalks in leaf axils. Flowers mainly autumn.

Description: Annual to short-lived perennial shrub; erect, prostrate or climbing over other vegetation. Leaves bright green, 10–20 cm long, leaflets 2.5–6 mm long, 0.6–1.2 mm wide in 12–30 pairs. Seedpods spiny, flattened, oblong, 1–3.5 cm long, in clusters. Seeds brown, flat, glossy 2–3 mm long.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by 4-angled stems; hooked prickles on stem angles and leaf stalks; leaves bipinnate with 4–9 pairs of pinnae; leaves close when disturbed, leaflets covered with fine hairs; flowers 4-petalled, stamens 8; pods softly spiny, 3–5.5 mm wide and dividing into 3–5, 1-seeded sections.

Robust branched taproot to 1-2 m, with nitrogen-fixing nodules amongst the fine fixing roots

Edited February 26, 2009 by Archaea

[Gunter]

also called mimosa invisa...

[Gunter]

"An erect, climbing, ascending or prostrate biennial or perennial shrub that often forms a dense thicket, the root system strong, often woody at the decumbent base; stems conspicuously angular throughout the length, up to 2 m tall with many randomly scattered recurved spines or thorns 3 to 6 mm long; leaves bipinnate, 10-20 cm long, moderately sensitive to the touch; pinnae four to nine pairs; leaflets 12-30 pairs, sessile, opposite, lanceolate, acute, 6-12 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; inflorescence a head, one to three in the axils of leaves, on stalks 1 cm long, hairy, about 12 mm in diameter; corolla united at least at the base (gamopetalous), pale pink; stamens twice as many as the petals; fruit a pod, spiny, three- to four-seeded, borne in clusters, linear, flat, 10-35 mm long, splitting transversely into one-seeded sections which separate at grooves or seams (sutures); seeds flat, ovate, 2 to 2.5 mm long, light brown. It may be distinguished by its angular stems with recurved thorns or spines and by its stamens which are twice the number of the petals" (Holm et al., 1977; p. 328). Can be easily distinguished from M. pudica, as M. [diplotricha] is larger and is only slightly sensitive to touch. "A spineless form is occasionally found, but is suspected of reverting to the spiny form" (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 17)

This is neat to me because it is a shrub or small tree in some descriptions but can infest areas as an annual.

It has a strong root system and hails from Brazil and resembles the plants grown from seeds obtained from a psychoactive mimosa plantation in Brazil, seeds which are indistinguishable from the ones I have from the plantation.

[Gunter]

Edited February 28, 2009 by Archaea

[Gunter]

[Gunter]

All photos depict the plant I think is the pseudohostilis, M. invisa aka M diplotricha.

[Gunter]

From a thread where auxin posted photographs of pseudo-hostilis seed compared to true hostilis. Please compare the pseudo-hostilis seeds to the images of the diplorticha/invisa.

And here for contrast are the seeds of Mimosa pudica.

Note that sometimes seed fitting the invisa/diplotricha may sometimes surface as pudica seemingly due to both species having the common name of sensitive plant.

and then the stems of a seedling of pseudo-hostilis, note the angles of the stem with the prickles and compare to the photographs and description of invisa/diplotricha:

And mimosa pudica

Here for more contrast is a plant identified as mimosa pudica, photo taken in sri lanka, clearly it has the angular stems and prickles of the diplotricha.

As far as relationships, Mimosa pudica, M pigra, and M. diplotricha are all closely related and may all contain related alkaloids. All are recognized as invasive species and are often banned from trade, sale and cultivation. An awareness of possible entheogenic use of such species both in traditional and nontraditional contexts may serve as the foundation of a novel type of ecological control through the exploitation of nuisance populations as an entheogenic resource. However such awareness might entail more widespread cultivation of species already known to be a major nuisance.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Archaea

[Gunter]

So is mimosa invisa/diplotricha cultivated in Brazil as an entheogen?

It has a strong taproot and can grow into a large shrub in some conditions, could that taproot be a source of jurema?

Here are some pictures of Mimosa hostilis for comparison to the above species.

from somewhere else:

I have purchased Mimosa hostilis seed from all vendors who offer it and have been growing them for the last few years. All of them turned out to not be M.hostilis.

So I went to the sources and it turns out the seeds come from the same big producers that sell the root bark. One producer assures me that his material is 'Jurema' which is the common name for M.hostilis, however he freely admits that his plants have pink ball flowers rather than white spike flower which is what M.hostilis has.

It seems likely that the suppliers are indeed supplying jurema, but not Mimosa hostilis, as jurema also applies to Mimosa verrucosa.

I offer that the ID of mimosa verrucosa is not consistent with the Jurema plants. Note that verrucosa has blossoms that are pink cylindrical spikes like a pink version almost of the hostilis, it does not have the pink ball flowers of the Brazilian Jurema source plant. Likewise Mimosa ophthalmocentra has blossoms that come in long, narrow cylindrical spikes having yellowish white petals and a white stamen and it is said that the blossoms are sometimes found to have a pink tinge. Clearly the pseudo-hostilis in not M hostilis, M. verrucosa or M. opthalmocentra. The plantation owner himself says it has pink ball flowers while the three species I just mentioned all have spike flowers, not balls.

I think that there is substantial indication that the jurema of the Brazilian plantation is Mimosa diplotricha.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Archaea

[t st tantra]

pretty coloured flowers anyway.......the shiny seeds seem right........keep seeing seeds described as flat,and pics of roundish ones......hostilis[?] seeds i saw were very flat and brown,round shape but flat......

your id and ideas seem reasonable,time will tell hopefully........

t s t .

[Auxin]

Thanks for finding this info

You could be right, the ones I grew from the pseudo-hostilis seed (lighter seeds and stem above) looked pretty much identical to this picture of diplotricha except I never got to see flowers, mine made stems, thorns, and leaves that match the description but died when I cut them back to induce branching I remember the dead roots were red, I have no idea if they were active. Its very likely the root material is on the market since those seeds are so common and from what I hear everything sold as hostilis root is active to some degree, its more just a difference of yield. I guess I should plant some more of my seed, it left my hostilis in the dust as far as growth rate... its just the whole dieing thing that was an impediment lol. If the bastard things try to grow to a meter and a half long string again this time I'll use 6-BAP in lanolin to induce branching.

[Gunter]

I had one of my pseudo-hostilis flower from seed at a young age, the flowers were tiny little lavender/pink balls just like the diplotricha.

I found another related species, like M pigra, M diplotricha and M pudica it gets called a sensitive plant. This one has ribs on the stem instead of having an angular stem and has prickles much like the diplotricha. It is called Mimosa nuttallii.

Here is what it looks like:

it seems allied with or synonymous with Mimosa rupertiana.

Edited February 28, 2009 by Archaea

[planthelper]

nice thread there, ar!

good collection of pic's, thank you for posting.

[Gunter]

If the diplotricha/invisa is the Brazilian jurema plantation species, then older root bark can yield around 1% DMT by dry weight.

Also if I am correct this is the source species of what has been called Jungle Spice.

[t st tantra]

the hostilis[?] i've seen was what i would call only partly sensitive.......touched leaves only half close......close fully in the evening.

as you note, invisa is an annual that can form clumps[?], so i wonder how much root bark forms ,given hostilis is not harvested til 5 years old or so.

t s t .

[Chiral]

At what age would Hostillis and Psuedo Hostillis start flowering...anyone....?

[Gunter]

I had one seedling out of 7 of the pseudo-hostilis flower less than 6 months from seed.

M. diplotricha is known to be somewhat touch sensitive but not as much as M. pudica.

I never noted invisa is a clump forming annual, only that it can grow this way in some climates. The description has it being a large shrub/small tree in some climates.

And to quote from the above descriptions:

Robust branched taproot to 1-2 m...

the root system strong, often woody at the decumbent base;

Can be easily distinguished from M. pudica, as M. [diplotricha] is larger and is only slightly sensitive to touch.

I read somewhere it is an emetic... funny eh?

Edited February 27, 2009 by Archaea

[elfwhisper]

great to see this thread, pigra/invisa has been on the brain lately.

recently informed by friend that precambium root bark from older specimens could be smoked as is - totally unconfirmed

another mate mentioned one in tropical rainforest that would be described as a medium sized tree which they couldn't get rid of with a backhoe

on pudica

was feeling adventurous last year some time and chewed a decent tap root (2yrs+), sedation/sleep quickly followed. when the experiment was repeated with a smaller specimen no effects were felt. bioassay's stopped when it was discovered that mimosine had been attributed to hair loss in animals and humans.

**EDIT

"The Hmong believe that a spirit, having entered the body of a person and caused shock or fainting, must be exorcised. To do this, they boil the roots of the sensitive plant, Mimosa Pudica, and have the victim drink the liquid. The stems of this plant are also placed in a small bag and hung around the victim's neck as an amulet for protection. A brank of the tse ma mo tree (Antidersma sootepense) is used by the doorway in their exorcism event."

p173.

Plants and People of the Golden Triangle: Ethnobotany of the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand - Edward F. Anderson 1993

Edited March 13, 2009 by elfwhisper

[catfish]

great pics

wish i had some of those seeds

[Gunter]

bump

i have seeds of the verrucosa and hostilis and they are nothing like the seeds of the brazil plantation plant that circulated some time ago that grow the thorny angular stemmed plants with the pink flowers

i am still convinced that the notion of the id of this seed as verrucosa is in error, (i recently read an ER article saying it was verrucosa and i contest this strongly)

i have as of yet been unable to procure seed of the diplotricha named as such

being considered invasive in many nations has made it hard to find for something so widespread