Mimosa albida
Native from Mexico through Central America to Venezuela and Peru, this scrambling shrub is associated with seasonally dry tropical habitats. In Colombia it also occurs along forest margins and in regenerating vegetation. Its young stems are hairy and bear prickles that curve backward. White or pink flowers are grouped in rounded heads, followed by small, flat, hairy seedpods. It can grow as a weed in pastures and cultivated fields. The flowers offer pollen as a reward to visiting insects. Beyond its native range, it has been introduced to Mauritius and RĂ©union. Photographed in the central Andes mountain range of Colombia.