Accession Data:
Codariocalyx motorius (Houtt.) H.Ohashi
- Common Name: Telegraph Plant
- Family: Fabaceae Juss.
- Country of Origin: tropical Asia
- Habitat: tropical shrub
- Description: [Syn: Desmodium gyrans]
This plant has small, lateral leaflets which move at speeds rapid enough to be perceivable with the naked eye. This is possibly a strategy to maximise light by tracking the sun. Each leaf is equipped with a hinge that permits it to be moved to receive more sunlight, but the weight of these leaves means the plant must expend a lot of energy in moving it. To optimise its movement, each large leaf has two small leaflets at its base. These move constantly along an elliptical path, sampling the intensity of sunlight, and directing the large leaf to the area of most intensity. Another hypothesis has been offered that the rapid movements are intended to deter potential predators.4
Timelapse video on YouTube
- USDA Zone: 10b-11
Accession Data:
- Accession # 199800023
- Source: Tim Devine - CSU Chico
- Provenance:
Tim Devine, CSU Chico. Lost main plants summer 2007, restart from seed previously collected
- Accession Date: 03-30-1998
- Bench: 1201 - AUS:West Bench NN
- Currently: active - healthy
- Qty: 3 confirmed on 02-26-2025
Classification:
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Magnoliopsida
- SubClass: eurosid I
- Order: Fabales
- SubOrder:
- Family: Fabaceae
- SubFamily: Faboideae
- Tribe: Desmodieae
- SubTribe: Desmodiinae
Flowering Data:
This accession has been observed in bloom on:| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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References (internal):
- EEB 3271 - Systematic Botany
- Plants used in EEB 2244 - General Ecology
- Thigmonasty
- Accessions with Embedded Video Files
- EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: China South-Central / China Southeast / Taiwan / Bangladesh / East Himalaya / India / Nepal / Pakistan / Sri Lanka / Cambodia / Laos / Myanmar / Thailand / Vietnam / Malaya / Philippines
References (external):
- The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Thursday, September 08, 2016.
- Codariocalyx motorius at ARS-GRIN. Last accessed on Thursday, September 08, 2016.
- Codariocalyx motorius at Wikipedia. Last accessed on Monday, October 02, 2017.
data regenerated on Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:00:12 -0500 [bcm v4.0]
Images:
Additional images for this accession:
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
Current Accessions in the Fabaceae
Subfamily Caesalpinioideae
Subfamily Caesalpinioideae
Tribe Cassieae
- Cassiinae: Cassia fistula
- Cassiinae: Senna corymbosa
- Ceratoniinae: Ceratonia oreothauma W/C
- Ceratoniinae: Ceratonia siliqua
- Ceratoniinae: Ceratonia siliqua
Subfamily Caesalpinioideae
Tribe Detarieae
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Amorpheae
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Desmodieae
- Desmodiinae: Codariocalyx motorius
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Genisteae
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Millettieae
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Phaseoleae
- Cajaninae: Rhynchosia phaseoloides
- Clitoriinae: Clitoria ternatea
- Erythrininae: Apios americana
- Erythrininae: Erythrina crista-galli
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Sophoreae
Subfamily Mimosoideae
Tribe Acacieae
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Subfamily Mimosoideae
Tribe Ingeae
Subfamily Mimosoideae
Tribe Mimoseae
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days