Codariocalyx motorius Seeds | Dancing Plant
LATIN NAME: Codariocalyx motorius
COMMON NAME: Dancing Plant
Plant Profile
Codariocalyx motorius, commonly known as Dancing Plant, is a shrub in the pea family. Dancing plant opens its small, purple-pink flowers and moves its side leaflets in quiet, restless dance, and the whole plant seems alive in the warm light. Plant has drawn wonder of old gardens and study rooms of warm lands, and it is a fine, curious presence of warm garden. It is a plant of open, sunny to lightly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained ground. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the pea family regularly include Codariocalyx motorius in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. It is the kind of species that plant scientists reach for when they need reliable material for propagation and selection studies.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Dancing Plant earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Dancing plant is a fine, curious plant of warm garden and study collection. It is a fine, curious plant of open, sunny to lightly shaded, deep, moist, well-drained garden. Give young plants warm, sheltered spot, and leaflets will dance in the first warm season. Once it has its roots down, it more or less looks after itself.
Beyond its looks, it serves the wider garden: the flowers feed bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, and stems cut for the vase bring the season indoors.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Dancing Plant, and the process is uncomplicated. Sow thinly on the surface of a loose, well-drained seed compost, cover lightly, water in gently and keep the tray in a sunny spot with even moisture. Grow the youngsters on steadily in pots until well rooted, then move them to their final positions.
Our Take
Dancing Plant is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. What it needs is basic: sun, drainage, and a little patience while it establishes.
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