telegraph plant

Codariocalyx motorius (though often placed in Desmodium), known as the telegraph plant, dancing plant, or semaphore plant, is a tropical Asian shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae), one of the few plants capable of rapid movement; other plants include Mimosa pudica, the venus flytrap and Utricularia. The motion occurs in daylight hours when the temperature is above 22° C. Many sources claim that the two leaflets move on a common axis (like the blades of a kayak paddle) even though there is no rigid connection between them.

It 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 produces small, purple flowers which turn orange with time.