Mimosa microphylla

Common Names

Littleleaf Sensitive Briar, Littleleaf Mimosa, Eastern Sensitive Briar, Sensitive Briar

Summary

Mimosa microphylla, Littleleaf Sensitive Briar, is a native Southeastern United States legume with a prostrate, sprawling habit and weak, prickly stems. Leaves are bipinnate with numerous small leaflets and touch-sensitive leaflets that fold when brushed. Pink powder-puff flower heads line the stems and are fragrant, and the fruit is a long slender pod densely covered with prickles. It favors full sun and dry to moderately dry, sandy or rocky, well-drained soils, and occurs in mixed woodlands, sandy pine–post oak woods, sandy floodplains, and roadside banks at around 100 m elevation. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9 and is not invasive, valued for conspicuous pink flowers and interesting foliage, making it suitable for native habitat plantings as well as roadside or open-field landscapes. Flowering occurs April–August, with fruits developing June–August.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-3.5 feet

Spread

12-60 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full Sun.

Soil Type

Dry to well-drained sandy or rocky soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soils

Bloom Color

Pink

Bloom Time

Spring and Summer

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts butterflies