Sensitive Brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis) has sunbursts of brilliant pink flowers festooned with yellow anthers. The sprawling vine-like stem and four-valved seedpods are armed with hooked prickles. Anyone curious enough to risk touching the compound leaves which normally close up during the hot part of the day and at dusk will be rewarded by seeing the leaves fold up in defense. A thornless relative, Powderpuff Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa), is used extensively as a drought-tolerant groundcover. These Mimosas have no kinship with the exotic Mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin).
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