Biophytum sensitivum

Natural origin of Biophytum sensitivum

Biophytum sensitivum belongs to the Oxalidaceae family and is native to tropical and subtropical Asia. It grows in moist, shaded places, including vegetation along riverbanks and damp thickets.

Growing Biophytum sensitivum

Grow this plant in a warm, humid terrarium or grow cabinet with filtered light. Inside the enclosure, use a pot with drainage holes and compost that holds moisture while allowing excess water to drain freely. Feel the compost and lift the pot before watering. Water thoroughly when the surface starts to dry and the pot feels lighter, before the root ball dries out. Let excess water drain and empty any water beneath the pot.

Collecting seed gives you a way to replace this short-lived plant. When flowers fade and seed capsules develop, loosely secure fine muslin around the ripening capsules, leaving room around the stem. Ripe capsules throw the seeds outward, so the muslin helps catch them. Prepare a small pot with drainage holes and premoistened compost that holds moisture and drains freely. Sow the ripe seed on the surface. Germination time varies, so keep the pot warm in filtered light inside the humid enclosure and keep the compost moist while the seeds germinate and the seedlings establish. Let excess water drain and empty any water collected below the pot.

Once the plant is established, feed lightly with balanced houseplant fertiliser while new leaves are expanding. Follow the product label's dose and application instructions, and stop feeding when growth stops. If growth slows or stops, keep the root ball lightly moist and continue checking the surface and pot weight before watering.

When dense roots fill the container, move the plant into a slightly larger pot with drainage holes and fresh suitable compost.

Help with Biophytum sensitivum problems

• Lasting wilt during the day: Leaflets folding after touch and leaves moving at night are normal. If daytime wilt persists, check the compost. A dry root ball needs a thorough watering followed by complete drainage. Soggy compost can also cause wilt; empty trapped water and do not water again until the surface starts to dry, before the root ball dries out. If wilt continues while the compost is still wet, inspect the roots. Cut soft rotten roots back to firm healthy tissue with clean shears, discard the decayed material and repot in fresh freely draining compost only when enough healthy roots remain. Keep the surviving roots lightly moist and water again as the surface starts to dry and the pot feels lighter.
• Tiny pale speckles with fine webbing: Spider mites may be feeding on the leaves. Use a magnifier to inspect the undersides. If mites are present, isolate the plant and wash them off with a flow of water gentle enough for the small leaves. If they persist, choose a treatment labelled for those mites, indoor use and this plant, and follow every application, dose and repeat-treatment instruction.
• Washed-out or brown patches after strong sun: Recent excessive sun may have damaged the leaves. Move the plant into filtered light.

Keep Biophytum sensitivum away from children and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its effects after chewing or swallowing are unclear, and plant material can still cause an upset stomach.
• Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop or do not settle.

Who first published Biophytum sensitivum, and what does the name mean?

Biophytum combines Greek bios, life, with phyton, plant. The Latin epithet sensitivum means sensitive or responsive.

Augustin Pyramus de Candolle established the genus Biophytum in 1824 in Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis, volume 1, page 689.

Carl Linnaeus first described it as Oxalis sensitiva in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 434. Augustin Pyramus de Candolle later placed it in Biophytum as Biophytum sensitivum in 1824 in Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis, volume 1, page 690.