Thigmomorphogenesis is the phenomenon by which plants grow and develop in response to touch. It is made up of 3 ancient Greek words:
θιγγάνω (thingánō) to touch
μορφή (morphê) shape
γένεσις (génesis) creation
I discovered this word by reading a wonderful book - The Light Eaters: The New Science of Plant Intelligence by Zoë Schlanger. Zoë touches on many of the intuitions that I have had all my life, that plants are indeed intelligent and quite obviously respond intelligently to their environment. What we now know is that touch stimulates a kind of electrical impulse throughout the whole plant, not dissimilar to our own nervous system. Just as we, and all animals are shaped by the forces of the environment that touch us, so are plants.
“A common explanation for our general lack of interest is that plants are slow. Their world exists on a different time scale than ours.” - Zoë Schlanger
If you are reading this, then it is likely that you share in my intuitions, that plants are intelligent. You may even consider your houseplants as pets and take great care of their individual needs so that they can thrive. You may even consider the plants and trees in your garden or neighbourhood as friends, greeting them as you walk by and taking note of how are going, admiring their growth or feeling concern for their ailments. Plants exist in a way that we can connect with in a mutual therapeutic way, if we allow ourselves the time to slow down and the imagination to animate them.
“Virtually all Indigenous groups around the world have a more intimate relationship with and recognition of plant life. Many cultures ascribe personhood to plants, humans being just one type of person.“ - Zoë Schlanger
Isn’t it obvious that plants are as varied and unique as people and animals? Of course, they don’t have cute faces that respond to food, but they are living creatures with needs and preferences. And doesn’t it just make life more colourful and meaningful when we animate our living green world? Doesn’t it make us more protective of how we treat it when we know individual trees as if they were members of our extended family? Furthermore, wouldn’t we humans be better off, more present and regulated, if we slowed our pace to match theirs on a daily basis?
“I have come to view plants as creatures. I've brought them into the fold of animacy in my mind.” - Zoë Schlanger
I love this sentiment and I think it’s about time we normalised it. Let’s bring plants (and all things!) into the fold of animacy in our minds, hearts and lives. We have so much to learn from the plant kingdom, not just how to be still and observe, but how to adapt to big changes, how to communicate effectively for the goodness of our communities, and also how to enlist help from others in a way that benefits everyone mutually. Plants do all of this with their exquisite sensing and signalling capacities. Not dissimilar from us, if we so choose to use our own intelligence in ways that are mutually beneficial for everyone.
“Gardeners are parents.” - Zoë Schlanger
Not all of us can spend years traveling and researching as Zoë has done to give the world this great book, but we can indeed do justice to the good green mass out there by noticing more closely what is living all around us. Even if it feels heretical, why not talk to your plants? Why not whisper a word of encouragement as you touch your palm to a neighbourhood tree? Why not care for a house plant as you would a pet? Why not plant some seeds and delight in their development? Why not tend and befriend the myriad personalities in your garden? And let your experience observing plants touch you, shape you and become the genesis of something beautiful within you?
“Gardening is no trivial pastime. It's a central way of shielding ourselves from the influence of the chaotic, dangerous world beyond while focusing our energies on something that can reflect the goodness and grace we long for.” – Alain de Botton, A Therapeutic Journey