Desmodium gyrans, Codariocalyx motorius - Telegraph Plant or Dancing Plant Seeds

Codariocalyx motorius, Desmodium gyrans, the Dancing Plant, the Telegraph Plant or Semaphore Plant, is a tropical Asian shrub and is widely distributed throughout Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It can even be found on the Society Islands, a remote chain of islands in the South Pacific.

It is a small and delicate plant, also recognized as a curiosity plant for its ability to move its leaves; something only a very few plants, like Venus Fly Traps and the Sensitive Plant can do.

The foliage is very simple. A single stem rises from the soil and grows separate delicate smaller stems to bear the leaves. They are oblong and shiny green.

The plant has the special ability to slowly rotate the leaflets that accompany each leaf. It will do so under the influence of touch, sunshine, warmth or even small vibrations caused by music being played.

Click Here to view a video clip of how the leaves gyrate. 

The Telegraph Plant contains small amounts of tryptamine alkaloids produced in the leaves, stem and root, namely DMT and 5-MeO-DMT.

The Telegraph plant prefers a mildly acid to neutral soil. The soil must be consistently moist, without drying out between waterings. The perfect place for this plant is light shade, since direct sun is far too strong for its delicate nature.