Dancing Plant

Dancing Plant (Desmodium Gyrans)

 Have you ever watched a plant move all by itself? The “dancing plant”, also known as the telegraph plant, actually moves its leaves in jerky motions when exposed to direct sunlight, warmth or vibration – hence their reaction to music. Its leaflets, each of which is equipped with a hinge at the base that allows it to move, rotate along an elliptical path. This plant is famous for being a favorite of Charles Darwin, and is featured in depth in his book The Power of Movement in Plants.

Fun History

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Dai girl named Duoyi. She loves dancing very much and dances skillfully. In gaps between the farming periods, she often tour around villages of different ethnic groups to perform for the poor. She was later known for her masterful performance. However, sometime later a bad leader came and robbed Duoyi and forced her to dance for him only. Duoyi didn’t follow and she escaped and suicide by drowning. People from the village then salvaged her body and held a funeral. Over the time, some beautiful grasses were grown from Duoyi’s grave, and they ‘dance’ whenever music starts. From then, people called this plant as ‘Dancing-grass’, and they believe the grasses are the incarnation of Duoyi.