Mimosa is a genus of flowering plants, containing roughly 600 species.
Their flowers are spherically symmetric, consisting of many stamens radiating outward from a central point. Unless an illustration is very close-up and detailed, this is often simplified to a little ball. Most species have pink flowers, the remainder white or yellow; however for some reason yellow varieties are by far the ones most commonly depicted.
Members of this genus exhibit the notable trait that, when their leaves are touched or exposed to heat, they fold up in the span of a few seconds. Thus this group is often characterized as "shy" or "sensitive", and one of their common names is "touch-me-not".
