Water Mimosa (Neptunia oleracea) is pod-bearing aquatic plant in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. It is also known as Sensitive plant, Phak runon and Phak krachet in Thailand, and Kanchait in Khmer. Water mimosa is cultivated as a vegetable in Southeast Asia, and is eaten raw in Thailand and Cambodia. It can be found growng in and around pools, lakes, wetlands, and swamps.
Water mimosa is a long-lived, herbaceous perennial creeping plant, 7-15 cm tall, and 30-150 cm in spread. The creeping stems are often swollen and floating, rooting at the nodes, and will spread in the water to 90-150 cm long. The older floating stems develop a thick spongy coveing which aids with flotation and they also produce roots at their joints. The 2-4 pair branchlets of bi-pinnate, fine, mimosa-like leaves are sensitive and close up upon touch. Primary leaf segments have 7-22 pairs, small oblong, 5-20 mm long leaflets aranged in opposite pairs. The tiny greenish-yellow to yellow flower clusters, 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter, are borne on very long penducles, 5-20 cm long, that are produced in the leaf forks. The flowers bloom from June to September. The flattened seed pods are oblong, 2-3 mm long and 8-10 mm wide, with each seed pod contains 4-8 brown seeds, 4-5 mm long and 2.5-3.5 mm wide.
Water mimosa grows well in full sun and partial shade. It is a nitrogen-fixing legume plant that is primarily found growing in wet soils near the water's edge or floating on the water in relatively still-water areas. The young leaves, shoot tips and young pods are eaten, and the roots have medicinal properties. The leaves and shoots have cabbage-like flavor.
Propagation is by seeds, stem cuttings, or reproduces via stem fragments that produce roots at their joints. Water mimosa can be a potential invasive species as it forms mats of dense interwoven stems on the water surface, and has the potential to restrict water flow in creeks and channels, reduce water quality, and replace native water plants and cause death of submerged plants and fish.
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