Pink Mimosa

This is a close-up of the pink mimosa or fragrant mimosa (Mimosa borealis), scientifically named by Asa Gray, a professor of natural history at... more

by Kim Pate

Title

Pink Mimosa

Artist

Kim Pate

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

This is a close-up of the pink mimosa or fragrant mimosa (Mimosa borealis), scientifically named by Asa Gray, a professor of natural history at Harvard and the preeminent American botanist of the 19th century. Asa Gray traveled twice west for botanical research after the Civil War, may have collected specimens of the plant in Colorado, which he visited.
Pink mimosa grows in a variety of soils including rocky limestone soils, caliche, sandy loams and clay loams. It is both cold and heat tolerant and requires little or no supplemental water after it is established. It can grow in full sun and in part shade, but it will probably produce more blooms in full sun. Its fragrant and eye-catching pink to whitish-pink flowers, blooming normally in the March-July period, are a nectar source for bees and butterflies. It has been listed as highly resistant to browsing by deer and is commonly found in Kansas, Colorado and west into New Mexico.
The compound leaves of the pink mimosa, a member of the Fabaceae (Pea Family), share a similarity to the leaves of many other members of the family, including mesquite and acacias. Each pink mimosa leaf is composed of a stem, which may branch 3 or 4 times, with as many as 6 pairs of tiny leaflets on each branched stem. Enjoy

Uploaded

April 27th, 2013