A little wonder, every day
Nightly leaf folding is nyctinasty
Плід і пагін Medicago truncatula біля Малаги; контекст бобової моделі, не фото мутантної лінії з дослідження / Fruit and shoot of Medicago truncatula near Málaga; context for the legume model, not the experimental mutant line. Credit: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz; CC BY-SA 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=152338452
Listen to fact0:00 / —
Leaflets of some plants, especially legumes, change position and may fold at night. These daily movements are called nyctinasty or sleep movements. The term is an analogy, rather than proof of brain-based sleep stages like human sleep. Pulvini at leaf bases change shape through ion and water movement, while the biological clock and light cycle help coordinate timing.
