TOUCH ME NOT – New Flower Discovered in Tibet

The recently discovered “Touch Me Not” is not a creeping plant found in India and many other parts of the world whose leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, defending themselves from harm, and re-open a few minutes later. It is a beautiful, coloured flower found in Tibet by scientists. Four species of Gentiana have been discovered on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau whose flowers can close within seconds of being touched, making them the most sensitive flowers in the world, according to a recently published study.

“It was startling to witness with the naked eye. The flowers disappeared momentarily in front of you,” said Dai Can, a professor at Hubei University’s School of Resources and Environmental Science, one of the scientists who led the study. After visiting more than 20 sites, they found four species of Gentiana that exhibit such movements: G. pseudo aquatica; G. prostrata var. karelinii; G. clarkei, and an unidentified gentian species. The flowers were discovered near a lake in Nagchu, Tibet autonomous region. The discoveries were made recently during the ongoing second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research mission, which began earlier.

One explanation for the rapid-closure behavior is that it could be a defense mechanism for the flower to protect itself from repeated intrusions by bumblebees. Due to the insect’s large body size and tendency to slit open floral tubes to obtain nectar, 98.8 percent of the flowers the bumblebees visited displayed induced floral closure, the study said.

The damage caused to the flowers by bumblebees collecting nectar was substantial. Nearly 80 percent of flowers experienced exterior damage, with six percent showing injuries to the ovary. Therefore, the rapid-closure response may be useful in discouraging bumblebees and protecting the flower’s ovary against fatal damage, the study said. Another explanation could be that the plant has evolved to encourage bumblebees to transfer pollen more efficiently among a wider range of flowers, since a closed crown would signal to the insect that it has already been visited and the visitor should look for another candidate.

Wang Qingfeng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Wuhan Botanical Garden, said both the induced defence and pollination stimulator theories are exciting and should be examined further in future studies. Netizens on social media have affectionately dubbed the flowers the “shiest” and “most humble” flora in the world. The rapid movement of petals has always been fascinating to scientists and nature lovers, as unlike animals, plants are generally perceived as static organisms.

Incidentally, Mimosa pudica which is popularly known as Touch Me Not plant in India’s rural areas is a creeping annual or perennial plant of the pea/ legume family Fabaceae. It is often grown for its curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, defending themselves from harm, and re-open a few minutes later bringing curiosity especially among the children.

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle