Where did Samoa’s plants come from and how did they get here? How large and unique is the flora? Some of the highlights of the flora What are the threats to the flora and native forests? What can we do to help save our unique plants?

Mimosa diplotricha is a species of leguminous woody shrub native to the Neotropics. It is an invasive species and now has a pantropical distribution. [1][2] It is commonly known as the giant sensitive plant, giant false sensitive plant, or nila grass. [3]

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pikika‘a Papa‘ā (AK); Other Polynesian - Vao Fefe Pālagi (SAM) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical Americas COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group only (AK only - common); Land, lowlands

KEY FEATURES: Sprawling semi-shrub to 1m. STEMS slender, with curved thorns. LEAVES alternate, compound, a stalk (=rachis) to 5cm with 1-2 pairs of opposite sub-stalks (=pinnae) to 5cm with 10-30 pairs of leaflets. LEAFLETS long-oval to strap-like, to 15x3mm, bluish-green.

Mimosa pudica (vao fefe, tuitui, vao tuitui, sensitive plant), a smaller plant with only small prickles, is common throughout Samoa as a component of the weedy vegetation of roadsides and other disturbed areas.

Mimosa invisa (giant sensitive plant, known as vao fefe palagi (American Samoa and Samoa), la'au fefe tele and la'au fefe palagi (Samoa)) is a particularly nasty plant covered with thorns, forming dense tangles that are difficult to walk through.

M. pudica is an annual or biannual sub-woody plant native to South America. It was introduced outside of its native range as an ornamental species, and is still available for sale today. This species is typically present in disturbed areas in much of the tropics where it has naturalized.

Cuando están vacíos, las hojas y los tallos colapsan y la planta se cierra. En la naturaleza, estas plantas se cierran durante la lluvia, el viento fuerte o cuando un animal las toca. Esta planta sensible es nativa del sur de México y América del Sur y Central tropical, pero los seres humanos la han diseminado por todo el mundo.

Mimosa pudica is native to South America, but has become a pan-tropical weed. It was introduced to many countries as an ornamental plant and is still widely available for sale. Mimosa pudica has become a pest in forest plantations, cropland, orchards and pasture. Mimosa pudica is used as a medicinal plant in many regions.

Mimosa diplotricha (syn. M. invisa) is a small, spiny, often scrambling, neotropical shrub that has invaded many countries throughout Africa, Asia and Oceania and many islands. In recent decades, it has spread to new regions and has the potential to invade more tropical areas.