Synonym: Neptunia natans; Neptunia prostrata; Neptunia aquatica.
English: Water mimosa; Sensitive neptunia.
Name: from Neptune, god of the sea, as an aquatic habit.
Habitat: wet soils, near the water's edge, floating on still water areas.
Region: Mexico to northern South America.
Use: leaves, young ends of stems and pods as vegetable, with cabbage-like flavor, raw or in stir-fries and curries such as kaeng som.
BotanyPantropical nitrogen-fixing perennial legume; aerenchyma, white spongy air-conducting tissue that gives stems buoyancy, forms on stems floating in water; 20 cm tall; forms thick foliage mats, choking waterways, restricting water flow, reducing water quality and fish activity.
Stems: clad with bipinnate, fine; leaflets 8-40, small, oblong, opposite; closing up when touched.
Inflorescence: densely crowded, feathery, orbicular.
Flowers: tiny, greenish-yellow; bloom in summer.
Fruits:flat pods; 3 cm long.