Thottalvadi or thottal sinungi, lajwanti in Hindi, is touch-me-not, a low, prickly herb whose feathery leaves fold up and droop within seconds of being touched. The movement comes from rapid water loss in swollen joints at the leaf base. Children everywhere play with it. Its pink pom-pom flowers make it attractive, but it is a spiny weed of lawns and fields.
- Botanical name
- Mimosa pudica L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Thottalvadi
- Hindi
- Lajwanti
- Sanskrit
- Lajjālu
- Parts used
- Whole plant in lists, Root in lists
- Habit
- Low prickly herb whose leaflets fold when touched
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Thottalvadi
It is a sprawling perennial herb or subshrub with prickly, reddish stems.
The leaves are twice divided, with many small leaflets that fold together when touched.
Pink, fluffy, ball-shaped flower heads grow on long stalks.
The pods are flat, in clusters, with bristly edges, breaking into one-seeded segments.
The leaves also fold at night.
Traditional use of Thottalvadi
Ayurveda
Lajjalu is used in Ayurveda for bleeding and diarrhoea.
Ayurvedic practice
Folk use
Root and leaf pastes are applied to wounds in folk practice.
Indian folk practice
Modern notes on Thottalvadi
Touch triggers electrical signals that make cells in the pulvini, swellings at the leaf joints, lose water and collapse.
Experiments in 2014 found that plants dropped repeatedly stopped folding, as if they had learned the stimulus was harmless.
It contains mimosine, which is toxic to livestock in large amounts.
Folding may protect the leaves from grazing insects and animals by making the plant look wilted.
Thottalvadi safety
Its prickles scratch skin. Do not take it by mouth without a practitioner, and keep grazing animals from eating large amounts.
Ecology and sourcing
It is native to tropical America and is now a weed throughout the tropics.
Bees pollinate its flowers.
It fixes nitrogen.
Its seeds can stay alive in the soil for many years.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Thottalvadi
Why does Thottalvadi close when touched?
Leaf joints lose water rapidly.
Does Thottalvadi close at night?
Yes.
Is Thottalvadi poisonous?
Mimosine can harm livestock in large amounts.
What does lajwanti mean?
Shy one.
Is Thottalvadi native to India?
No. It comes from tropical America.
Sources
- Mimosa pudica L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q148532 (Mimosa pudica)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.