We've all heard of shy people before, but what about a shy plant? As crazy as it may sound, one actually exists. It's called the Mimosa pudica, from the Latin word meaning "sensitive plant." It's also known as the touch-me-not. The Mimosa pudica is native to South and Central America. It is a creeping annual or perennial herb, which means that it slowly expands across any surface it is attached to. However, the Mimosa pudica's real claim to fame is its strange reaction to being touched. If someone touches the leaves of the Mimosa pudica, the leaves immediately fold up. This gives people the impression that the Mimosa pudica is more of an animal than a plant. The Mimosa pudica's reaction is the result of a chemical that is released whenever the plant is touched. The chemical makes water within the plant move toward the stem, and the plant's leaves fold inward as a result. Some scientists believe that this strange reaction is actually meant to be a form of defense against plant-eating animals. It's not movement that makes the Mimosa pudica the most incredible plant in the world. Its leaves can also be ground up and used to treat several diseases. In Indian
traditional medicine, the Mimosa pudica is used to treat swollen glands, and it is used to ease body pain and kidney disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, wherever the Mimosa pudica is found growing, there is usually a native culture that uses the plant to cure some kind of disease. If you're fascinated by the idea of a moving plant, you don't need to worry; the Mimosa pudica is not a threatened species. In fact, it's the total opposite. The Mimosa pudica is listed in the global database of invasive species. An invasive species is one that has been moved to a new habitat and is destroying the local species. Even though the Mimosa pudica originated in the Americas, it has spread to Africa, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Australia. In many of these countries, it is viewed as a big problem.
我們都聽過害羞的人，但是有聽過害羞的植物嗎？聽起來可能很誇張，但誇張的是真的有這樣的植物！它就叫做「含羞草」，是從拉丁文「敏感的植物」衍生而來， 英文又稱之為「touchme- not」（勿碰我）。 含羞草原產於中南美洲，是一年生或多年生的攀緣草本植物，也就是說，含羞草會沿著它所攀附的物體表面往外生長。不過，真正讓含羞草成名的原因，在於它被碰觸之後的奇特反應。如果有人碰一下含羞草的葉子，這些葉子就會立刻闔起來，所以才會讓人感覺含羞草比較像動物而不像植物。 含羞草的反應來自於被碰觸當下所釋放的一種化學物質，這種化學物質會將植物內部的水分導向莖部，造成葉子往中間收合。部分科學家認為，這種特殊的反應其實是為了抵禦草食性動物。 含羞草之所以是世界上最奇妙的植物，原因不只是它的反應，它的葉子可以磨碎治療多種疾病。印度傳統醫學用含羞草來治療腺體腫脹；在剛果則用它來舒緩疼痛和腎疾。事實上，有含羞草生長的地方，通常都有用含羞草治病的文化。 如果你覺得會動的植物很有意思，你倒也不用替含羞草擔心，因為它可不是好惹的品種，事實上恰好相反。含羞草名列全球的入侵種之一，所謂入侵種，是被移至新棲地之後會消滅在地品種的物種。雖然含羞草原產於美洲，但是現在已經擴散到非洲、南亞、太平洋島群和澳洲，讓其中許多國家非常頭痛。 | 
