Do plants follow circadian rythm like humans!

I started my journey at 5-00 AM today ( 3rd July, 2019) to Kolkata. While walking on the road saw the mimosa plants resume from sleep. Noticed two mimosa plants at same place 2 feet away from other one plant fully awaked with open leaves and another started opening. Thought one plant is lazy like humans! (time : 5-03 IST).Location : Cube Locality Sapekhati , Coordinates : 27.0935266, 95.1668660

The sleepy mimosa still opening

Fully opened mimosa plant.


Variations like that can be explained if we have more data. Is this accidental? How common it is? Could it be due to mutations, or change in the environment, light, neighborhood plants, one of the plant may have an infection. As you notice, everything is pure speculation.

First thing to establish is if the phenomena is common/repeatable?

Thank you @G_N.
I shall observe some samples. Should it be done in natural environment as where the plants are seen ?

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Until we have an experimental design, regular observations will help. Once it takes the form of a project with a short-term and long-term goal, we will publish the project here, so that others can do the same research to see whether the phenomena replicates at other places as well.

I guess we can do this easily what we can do we can take six plants and out of which three plants will be kept in the normal condition and the next three will be kept in closed box in which we can continuously exposing it to say the light from the normal bulb and then we can report our observation that whether there is circadian rhythm that is being followed in the case of the plant which is kept in the box or not…


If it depends on light then the mimosa leaves have to be open all time !

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Why mimosa should be open everytime… Doesn’t it depend on intensity of it @Susanta_Tanti

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Grow mimosa plants in an artificial condition where you provide same intensity light throughout. If the leaves do not close, we could infer that light is an important variable.

It need not be mimosa, any other legume plant may also work.

Also, do some research to check if others have already done such experiments. I will be surprised if they haven’t.

This looks young! Can it be that younger ones wake up earlier? @Susanta_Tanti

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@Arunan what does sleeping mean for plants?
Will they cease their function when their leaves are closed? Or are we implying our motives of sleeping to plants?

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