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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1981 Jan;78(1):402–404. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.1.402

Leaf folding in a sensitive plant: A defensive thorn-exposure mechanism?

Thomas Eisner 1
PMCID: PMC319061  PMID: 16592957

Abstract

Quantitative photographic evidence is presented indicating that in the sensitive plant Schrankia microphylla the leaf-folding response that accompanies the sensitive reaction results in a pronounced increase in thorn exposure. It is argued that in sensitive plants that are thorny, including other species of Schrankia, as well as Mimosa pudica, the plant in which the sensitive reaction is traditionally demonstrated, leaf folding may be a defensive adaptation.

Keywords: adaptation, plant movement, defense

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bünning E., Moser I. Interference of moonlight with the photoperiodic measurement of time by plants, and their adaptive reaction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1969 Apr;62(4):1018–1022. doi: 10.1073/pnas.62.4.1018. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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