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Littleleaf Sensitive-briar

Mimosa microphylla

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, other dry woodlands and forests, dry disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

65
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Light
Sun
Soil moisture
Dry
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to September
Fruiting season
August to November

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 62 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Mimosa

  • Adelphia petrellaRusty-Banded Adelphia
  • Diphthera festivaHieroglyphic Moth
  • Eurema dairaBarred Yellow, Barred Sulphur
  • Ithome concolorellaKiawe Flower Moth
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Pyrisitia lisaLittle Yellow, Little Sulphur, Lisa Yellow
  • Rudenia leguminanaBlack-Tipped Rudenia Moth
Show all 13
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Zale lunataLunate Zale
  • Phidotricha erigens
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
13BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Mimosa

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Mimosa

  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
Pink
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Eastern Sensitive Briar; Eastern Sensitive Plant; Littleleaf Sensitive briar; Schrankia microphylla

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rank[G5]
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources