Meet the ‘Dancing Plant’: A perfect Asian plant to add in home garden

Has anyone heard of a plant dancing? Maybe not, but there is a plant that exists. This shrub is known as ‘Dancing Plant’, ‘Telegraph Plant’, or ‘Semaphore Plant’. This plant is famous for the rapid visible movements of its small leaf-like leaflets.

The scientific name of this shrub is Codariocalyx motorius; it is largely distributed throughout South Asia, including Sri Lanka, and in some of the East and southeastern regions of Asia. According to the research published in Research Gate titled, ‘The ‘Dancing’ Plant: Codariocalyx motorius (Houtt.) Ohashi’, Dancing Plant is famous for its rapid visible movements as they only move in the direction of indirect light or sunlight with the help of its biological sensors. This shrub is most commonly known as ‘Praanajeewa’ in Sri Lanka.

How does a dancing plant dance

People can get confused about its dance moves. How can a plant even dance? According to the research paper in Research Gate, it moves because of its motor cells; this effect is caused by the swelling and shrinking of motor cells situated in the pulvinus at the very end of the leaflets. Furthermore, in the research, it is written that this movement occurs by an oscillating biological cycle that sets-off the movement of ions, specifically potassium and chloride.

The potassium fluxes are mainly responsible for the movement of water throughout the pulvinus, which at the end, results in volume changes in the pulvinus and allows the leaflets to rotate.

Can electricity affect how the plant dances

Yes, as mentioned in the research, this plant becomes unresponsive when it comes in contact with any external electrical stimuli. Its rhythmic moves can be affected by DC currents, 27-MHz radio frequencies, and electromagnetic fields.

Such external electrical stimuli can affect the ‘dancing plant’ biological cycle that helps the plant move.

Is there a medicinal side to the ‘dancing plant’

Dancing Plant has a long history in Chinese Medicine; it has the ability to treat some serious conditions such as rheumatism, cough, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria, pyrexia, haemoptysis, and others. The roots of this plant possess highly active antioxidant substances that help in treating oxidative stress-related diseases.

This plant has another speciality as it contains a wide variety of alkaloids that have signs to boost pharmaceuticals.

How ‘dancing plant’ is perfect for a home garden

This plant can offer uniqueness to a home garden, as mentioned in the research that it can be a fascinating ornament to the home garden, as it gives the natural presence of a plant living in nature in real time. Its rhythmic movement offers the impression of a living spirit within a plant. The research also confirms that its leaflets show movements every three-to-five minutes, which can make anyone dive into nature’s mechanics without external equipment.Ultimately, this Dancing Plant is a ‘nature’s wonder’ as seeing its rotating abilities offers mystery to someone new to seeing this fascinating plant. Growing this in the home garden can offer an automatic, interactive connection with nature. It gives a constant message of how a plant can work on intelligence.