Biophytum sensitivum Seeds | Little Tree Plant
LATIN NAME: Biophytum sensitivum
COMMON NAME: Little Tree Plant
Plant Profile
Little Tree Plant (Biophytum sensitivum) is a distinctive species, native to mimosa pudica for demonstrating this phenomenon. These traits together are what have kept the plant in gardens for so long.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the Biophytum group, Biophytum sensitivum is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. The whole plant also has a documented history of use in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, and phytochemical research has examined compounds in its foliage relevant to these traditional applications. Little about its garden performance is mysterious; it has been grown and observed for a very long time.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Little Tree Plant has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. Little tree plant is grown primarily as a novelty and educational curiosity, its rapid touch-sensitive leaf folding making it a genuinely delightful, interactive plant for children and curious gardeners alike. In parts of its native range it also has some traditional medicinal use, though its primary appeal in general cultivation remains its fascinating rapid movement response. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
Little tree plant is a sensitive-plant relative with Ayurvedic folk records for urinary and inflammatory complaints, now under early phytochemical study.
Growing from Seed
Little Tree Plant grows readily from seed. Sow seed onto surface of a loose, well-drained mix without covering it deeply, keeping conditions warm and consistently moist. Bright light suits this small tropical annual well, and it typically grows quickly, soon revealing touch-sensitive leaf response that makes species such a fun addition to a windowsill or terrarium. Level a tray of loose seed compost, sow evenly, cover to about the seed’s own depth, and keep it moist in full light. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Little Tree Plant is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. In a sunny, freely drained position it needs little looking after.
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