The plant world is full of wonders, but few are as captivating and enigmatic as the “Dancing Plant,” scientifically known as Codariocalyx motorius. Also commonly referred to as the telegraph plant or semaphore plant, this shrub has intrigued scientists and plant enthusiasts alike for centuries with its unique and spontaneous leaf movements. Native to Southeast Asia, this botanical marvel is found swaying and twirling across tropical landscapes in countries like India, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
My own fascination with this plant began while preparing for a plant chemical ecology class, sparked by the BBC documentary In the Mind of Plants. Much like the wonder evoked by the magical beanstalk in the fairytale “Jack and the Beanstalk,” I was instantly captivated by the idea of a plant exhibiting such dynamic behavior. Choosing Codariocalyx motorius as a research topic was an easy decision, and it turns out I’m in good company. Even Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary biology, was fascinated by this species, dedicating a section to it in his book “The Power of Movement in Plants.” Beyond the scientific community, a Thai botanist, as mentioned in a YouTube video, reportedly invested years and a considerable sum cultivating different strains of this plant. While it also holds traditional medicinal value, the real allure of the dancing plant lies in its mysterious movement in response to sound, a phenomenon that continues to puzzle botanists and plant physiologists.
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Botanical Description and Traditional Uses
Beyond its captivating movements, the dancing plant boasts other noteworthy characteristics. Reaching heights of two to four feet at maturity, this perennial shrub displays delicate purple flowers and branches adorned with both large terminal leaves and smaller lateral leaflets. Interestingly, it’s the area beneath these smaller leaflets, the pulvinus, that orchestrates the plant’s rapid dance.
For centuries, traditional medicine practices in China and Southeast Asia have utilized various parts of the dancing plant, including roots, leaves, and flowers, to address inflammatory conditions (Kalirajan 2012). This medicinal application is attributed to the presence of various alkaloids, secondary metabolites that play a crucial role in plant survival and defense mechanisms.
Pea-like flower of the dancing plant, highlighting its membership in the Fabaceae family.
Intrigued by its unique nature, I attempted to cultivate my own dancing plants from seeds ordered online. While the shipping delays unfortunately thwarted my initial plans to document their growth for this article, the aspiration to nurture these fascinating plants remains. For those inspired to witness the dance firsthand, seeds are readily available online, for example from Etsy.
The Dance of the Dancing Plant: Movement and Mystery
Plant movement, while often subtle, is a well-documented phenomenon. Plants typically orient themselves towards light (phototropism) and respond to gravity, guiding root growth downwards (gravitropism). Some plants even exhibit touch sensitivity (thigmotropism). However, the dancing plant stands out due to its rapid and visible movements triggered by various stimuli, including light, temperature, touch, gravity, and most notably, sound (Ileperuma 2015). This rapid movement is a rarity in the plant kingdom. One intriguing hypothesis suggests that this sound-induced movement could be a form of mimicry, resembling the fluttering wings of butterflies or other arthropods to attract pollinators or deter herbivores (Lev-Yadun 2013).
Studies have shown that the leaflets of Codariocalyx motorius exhibit an elliptical dance-like motion when exposed to high-frequency sound waves (Ellingsurd 1993), with movements lasting several minutes. The prevailing theory posits that this leaflet movement is a strategy to optimize sunlight capture for the larger leaves. This motion is orchestrated by the pulvinus, a specialized hinge-like structure located between the leaflet and the main stem (rhachis) (Figure 21.2 – Biology Discussion). Changes in water volume within the motor cells of the pulvinus, driven by turgor pressure, cause the leaflets to move (Ellingsurd 1993, Raven 2004). It’s also important to note the plant’s nyctinastic movements, common in the Fabaceae family, where leaves droop at night or in darkness and rise again with daylight.
![Nyctinastic movements in a plant. Image adapted from original.] (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Nyctinastic_movement_of_leaves_of_a_bean_plant.jpg/800px-Nyctinastic_movement_of_leaves_of_a_bean_plant.jpg)
Nyctinastic “night closure” movements of a bean plant, similar to those observed in C. motorius, showcasing the daily rhythms of leaf posture in the Fabaceae family.
While some sources playfully suggest that the dancing plant “loves to groove to the beat” (funflowerfacts.com 2013), the scientific community maintains a more cautious perspective on plant “neuroscience” or “intelligence.” Claims that music enhances the plant’s movements likely stem from the plant’s sensitivity to sound vibrations (Ileperuma 2015). Studies on Mimosa pudica, another rapidly moving plant in the Fabaceae family, have sparked debates about “animal-like” learning behavior in plants versus simple adaptive responses. While some interpret these behaviors as evidence of plant memory and complex signaling systems, others emphasize that plants exhibit adaptive behaviors without possessing brains, relying on sophisticated electrical and chemical signaling (The Intelligent Plant).
Auxin: The Chemical Conductor of Movement
![Auxin chemical structure. Image constructed on Molview.] (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Auxin-2D-skeletal.svg/800px-Auxin-2D-skeletal.svg.png)
Chemical structure of Auxin, a key plant hormone involved in growth and movement, and responsible for the dancing plant’s leaf motions.
Within the pulvinus, the plant hormone auxin plays a crucial role in orchestrating the dancing movements. Derived from the Greek word “auxein,” meaning “to increase,” auxin is involved in numerous plant processes. In the context of movement, auxin facilitates the transport of ions across motor cell membranes within the pulvinus. This polar auxin transport leads to changes in cell volume in a coordinated and reversible manner. Depolarization causes cells on one side of the pulvinus to shorten, while hyperpolarization leads to elongation on the opposite side, resulting in the leaflet’s motion (Ellingsurd 1993, Raven 2004).
The Mystery Endures
Despite scientific advancements, the precise reason why Codariocalyx motorius exhibits rapid motion in response to sound remains an open question. While hypotheses range from attracting pollinators to deterring predators, or optimizing sunlight capture, more research is needed to fully understand this fascinating phenomenon. Perhaps future research in plant neuroscience will unlock further secrets of the dancing plant and its captivating rhythmic movements. For now, the mystery of the dancing plant continues to inspire awe and curiosity, reminding us of the intricate and often enigmatic nature of the plant kingdom.
Reference List
Mitsch, Jacques. 2008. In The Mind of Plants.
Volkov, Alaxander. 2012. Plant Electrophysiology: Signaling and Responses. Springer.
Ileperuma, C. V. K.. 2015. The ‘dancing’ plant: Codariocal motorius (Houtt.) Ohashi. Young Researchers’ Forum – PGIS [Internet]. [cited 19 Jan 2017]; Avaliable from: pgis.lk (http://www.pgis.lk/yrf/sci2015/cvk_ileperuma.pdf).
Johnsson, Anders. The Telegraph Plant: Codariocalyx motorius (Formerly Also Desmodium gyrans). http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-29110-4_4. Springer.
Lev-Yadun, Simcha. 2013. The Enigmatic Fast Leaflet Rotation in Desmodium motorium. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/psb.24473?scroll=top&needAccess=true. Open Select Journals.
Ellingsurd, S. 1993. Perturbations of plant leaflet rhythms caused by electromagnetic radio-frequency radiation. 20 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bem.2250140309/abstract. Pub Med Central.
Funflowerfacts. 2013. https://funflowerfacts.com/2013/07/16/weird-and-unusual-plant-the-dancing-plant-codariocalyx-motorius/.
Pollan, Michal. 2013. The Intellegent Plant. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/the-intelligent-plant. The New Yorker.
Kalirajan A, Savarimuthu J, Michael, and A. J. A. Ranjit Singh. 2012. A preliminary screening of the medicinal plant Desmodium gyrans (Linn .F) DC for its antimicrobial, phytochemical and wound healing properties. International Journal for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. Sri Paramakalyani College, Alwarkurichi – 627 412, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India. Available from: International Journal for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research at ijpsr.com.
Raven, Peter. 2004. Biology of Plants Seventh Edition.
Image sources:
Figure: 21.2 http://cdn.biologydiscussion.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/clip_image004-173.jpg image from this website http://www.biologydiscussion.com/plants/movement/movement-in-plants-with-diagram/23622
Nyctinastic movements: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Nyctinastic_movement_of_leaves_of_a_bean_plant.jpg/800px-Nyctinastic_movement_of_leaves_of_a_bean_plant.jpg
Auxin chemical structure: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Auxin-2D-skeletal.svg/800px-Auxin-2D-skeletal.svg.png
Original flower image: https://sites.evergreen.edu/plantchemeco/wp-content/uploads/sites/271/2017/02/%C3%A0%C2%B4%C2%A4%C3%A0%C2%B5%E2%80%A0%C3%A0%C2%B4%C2%BE%C3%A0%C2%B4%C2%B4%C3%A0%C2%B5%C2%81%C3%A0%C2%B4%E2%80%A2%C3%A0%C2%B4%C2%A3%C3%A0%C2%B5%C2%8D%C3%A0%C2%B4%C2%A3%C3%A0%C2%B4%C2%BF_04-300×219.jpg
