Family: Oxalidaceae
Biophytum sensitivum, also known as lifeplant or little tree plant, is a small, delicate species native to tropical regions of Asia, including India and Southeast Asia. Despite its common name, it isn’t actually a tree—its rosette of pinnate leaves sits atop a slender stem, giving it a tiny “palm tree” look. The leaves are touch-sensitive and fold when disturbed, a feature that makes it popular as an ornamental curiosity and educational plant. It is also used in traditional medicine in parts of its native range.
In Hawai‘i, Biophytum sensitivum is not widely cultivated and is not currently known to pose serious environmental threats. It has shown the ability to naturalize in some tropical regions elsewhere, but there is no evidence of aggressive or invasive behavior in the Hawaiian Islands. As with any species that can grow and spread in warm, moist conditions, gardeners should monitor plantings to ensure it does not self-seed beyond intended areas. Otherwise, the species is considered low risk and safe for responsible cultivation.
High Risk Traits:
- Thrives in tropical climates, with the potential to spread in regions like the Hawaiian Islands with a suitable climate
- A weed of disturbance and anthropogenic environments, and often cited as a weed of numerous crops
- Shade tolerant
- Reproduces by seed
- Potentially self-compatible
- An annual, reaching maturity in <1 year
- Seeds dispersed by being ejected some distance from the capsule; possibly also spread by water, or as a crop contaminant
Low Risk Traits:
- Despite designation as a common crop weed, negative impacts to crop yield or productivity have not been specified
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Non-toxic
- Valued for medicinal uses
- Not reported to spread vegetatively
