MIMOSA

The flower of the Mimosa tree is quite beautiful and is one of my favorites. It also happens to be the flower that is customarily presented to a woman on International Women's Day throughout much of Europe. Interestingly, my birthday falls on International Women's Day, March 8.

The species that includes the Mimosa is a native of Persia to central China. Its character is accentuated by its interesting flat-topped head and spreading foliage of extreme grace and delicacy. As with some other plants, the foliage exhibits the peculiar sensitivity which causes the leaflets to fold together in pairs at night or when touched.

The beauty of the mimosa flower is not a result of colorful petals as occurs in most flowers but rather the presence of a great many stamens about two inches in length which vary in color from pinkish hues to light yellowish pink, to coral red. Like lily flowers, the flowers are clustered in round stalked heads in the axils of the current season's growth. The flowers appear during the summer and early fall.

If you want to know more about the Mimosa here is a good reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa

Here are some of the many species of Mimosa