Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Saturday - March 10, 2012

From: austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Looking for Mimosa pudica plants in Austin, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Where can I buy a Mimosa pudica plant in or near Austin? I don't want seeds, but a few small actual plants. Thanks!

ANSWER:

Mimosa pudica, also known as Sensitive Plant, is an interesting and entertaining plant. It is commonly used in Biology classes to illustrate plant growth movements termed thigmonasty (or seismonasty).

However, it is a native of Brazil and therefore falls outside the focus of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center whose mission is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. This link to gardenguides.com  indicates that it is considered to be an invasive weed in the Gulf Coast States.

Checking our National Suppliers Directory was not helpful, so I decided to check on the web. Looking for Mimosa pudica on Google yields several sites that sell seeds, but Logee’s Plants for Home and Garden in Connecticut, and toptropicals.com in Florida are the only sites that I found that offer plants for sale.

 

More Herbs/Forbs Questions

Drought-resistant ground cover for Massachusetts
July 11, 2012 - Mr Smarty Plants I am looking for drought resistant,low maintenance ground cover for a LEED certified project in Florence MA. Any suggestions?
view the full question and answer

Plants for hanging flower boxes from Austin
July 27, 2013 - I have two long flower boxes 17" x 15" x 25 feet long one on the north side of the apt and one on the south made of metal suspended about four feet from the ground. One will get the morning sun and ...
view the full question and answer

Ground Arizona ash wood suitable for mulch?
April 23, 2015 - We cut down a 40 year old Arizona ash tree and had the stump ground into mulch. Can we use this mulch in our vegetable garden and flower beds
view the full question and answer

Lupines annual or perennial in Zone 4b from Austin
November 08, 2012 - Are lupines treated as perennials or annuals in Zone 4b (Northeast) if they are planted in the ground? Will other native species of lupines grow in a region they are not native to? Any recommendations...
view the full question and answer

Evergreen plant to cover parents' graves in Louisiana
June 30, 2013 - We want to plant ground cover on our parents graves in Plain Dealing Cemetery in north Bossier Parish LA. Soil is red clay/dirt. Want native plant, slow growing, short not tall plant, that might sta...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.