Script Writing

Mimosa Pudica

Brief: In no more than 300 words, create a short script on the topic of Mimosa Pudica. Write it in a casual, talking directly to the viewer and ensure that it is clear enough for a 14 year old to understand.

Mimosa Pudica, a seemingly simple yet beautiful plant from afar may be holding a larger mystery than we once realised, but be sure not to say anything too cruel to this sensitive plant.

Before I get into its mystery, let me tell you about the unique Mimosa Pudica plant. Also known as a sensitive plant or Shameplant, the Mimosa Pudica reacts in rapid movement to stimuli, such as touch or movement, with its leaves folding in and its branches drooping causing the plant to look dead in seconds. Within 10 – 20 minutes, its beautiful leaves and branches return to normal as though nothing ever happened.

If this unusual behaviour wasn’t enough to intrigue your attention on this popular houseplant, then perhaps the studies performed by Monica Gagliano will.

In 2014, Monica Gagliano released her most well-known study on the fascinating behaviour of the Mimosa Pudica. The experiment included dropping the plant over and over until it no longer reacted to the sensation of falling and to prove that the plants' lack of reaction wasn’t just exhaustion (we’ve all been there), they would then shake the plant to see its reaction. The sensitive plant that no longer reacted to being dropped would furl up the moment it was shaken, proving that it could learn that certain stimuli would do it no harm. Further experiments showed that the plant would continue not reacting to being dropped for 28 days after, suggesting that the plant also had the capacity for some form of memory.

There are a few unconfirmed theories as to these unique plants ability to learn and remember but it seems that the full mystery of the anxious Mimosa Pudica is yet to be revealed.