In tune with dancing plant: Facts about Asian shrub

Dec12,2023

Also known as dancing plant, Codariocalyx motorius is also called dancing plant or semaphore plant, is a tropical Asian shrub in the Pea family

Telegraph Plant

One of a few plants capable of rapid movement, the dancihng plant also includes Mimosa pudica, the venus flytrap and Utricularia.

Motion plants

It produces small, purple flowers. This plant has small, lateral leaflets which move at speeds rapid enough to be perceivable with the naked eye

Rapid movement

Each leaf is equipped with a hinge that permits it to be moved to receive more sunlight, but the weight of these leaves means the plant must expend a lot of energy in moving it. 

Sunlight

It has also been suggested that these movements may be a form of butterfly mimicry to prevent the laying of butterfly eggs on the plant's leaves

Butterfly mimicry

The common name is due to the rotation of the leaflets with a period of about three to five minutes; this was likened to a semaphore telegraph, a structure with adjustable paddles

Semaphore Telegraph

Due to its special characteristic that it can "dance", the plant has been used as ornament in gardening, in which some are made as bonsais.

Ornament