Plant Library

Other Names:  Sleepy Plant, Humble Plant, Touch-me-not

Description:

This creeping annual or perennial flowering plant produces delicate, fern-like leaves which fold into themselves when touched; produces fluffy pale lilac flowers in spring; an interesting houseplant that is easy to care for

Features & Attributes

Sensitive Plant features dainty spikes of lilac purple pincushion flowers with white tips along the stems from mid spring to late summer. Its attractive tiny narrow bipinnately compound leaves emerge light green, turning bluish-green in color throughout the year.

This is an herbaceous evergreen houseplant with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other indoor plants with less refined foliage. This plant may benefit from an occasional pruning to look its best.

Planting & Growing

When grown indoors, Sensitive Plant can be expected to grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This houseplant will do well in a location that gets either direct or indirect sunlight, although it will usually require a more brightly-lit environment than what artificial indoor lighting alone can provide. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist soil, but will not tolerate any standing water. The surface of the soil shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely, and so you should expect to water this plant once and possibly even twice each week. Be aware that your particular watering schedule may vary depending on its location in the room, the pot size, plant size and other conditions; if in doubt, ask one of our experts in the store for advice. It is not particular as to soil type or pH; an average potting soil should work just fine. Be warned that parts of this plant are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so special care should be exercised if growing it around children and pets.

There are many factors that will affect the ultimate height, spread and overall performance of a plant when grown indoors; among them, the size of the pot it's growing in, the amount of light it receives, watering frequency, the pruning regimen and repotting schedule. Use the information described here as a guideline only; individual performance can and will vary. Please contact the store to speak with one of our experts if you are interested in further details concerning recommendations on pot size, watering, pruning, repotting, etc.

-- THIS IS A HOUSEPLANT AND IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --