The Movements and Habits of Climbing PlantsDarwin, Charles
Science
The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants
Darwin, Charles
Climbing plants; Geotropism; Plants; Plants -- Irritability and movements
All tendrils are sensitive, but in various degrees, to contact with an
object, and curve towards the touched side. With several plants a single
touch, so slight as only just to move the highly flexible tendril, is
enough to induce curvature. _Passiflora gracilis_ possesses the most
sensitive tendrils which I have observed: a bit of platina wire 0.02 of a
grain (1.23 mg.) in weight, gently placed on the concave point, caused a
tendril to become hooked, as did a loop of soft, thin cotton thread
weighing one thirty-second of a grain (2.02 mg.) With the tendrils of
several other plants, loops weighing one sixteenth of a grain (4.05 mg.)
sufficed. The point of a tendril of _Passiflora gracilis_ began to move
distinctly in 25 seconds after a touch, and in many cases after 30
seconds. Asa Gray also saw movement in the tendrils of the
Cucurbitaceous genus, _Sicyos_, in 30 seconds. The tendrils of some
other plants, when lightly rubbed, moved in a few minutes; with Dicentra
in half-an-hour; with Smilax in an hour and a quarter or half; and with
Ampelopsis still more slowly. The curling movement consequent on a
single touch continues to increase for a considerable time, then ceases;
after a few hours the tendril uncurls itself, and is again ready to act.
When the tendrils of several kinds of plants were caused to bend by
extremely light weights suspended on them, they seemed to grow accustomed
to so slight a stimulus, and straightened themselves, as if the loops had
been removed. It makes no difference what sort of object a tendril
touches, with the remarkable exception of other tendrils and drops of
water, as was observed with the extremely sensitive-tendrils of
_Passiflora gracilis_ and of the _Echinocystis_. I have, however, seen
tendrils of the Bryony which had temporarily caught other tendrils, and
often in the case of the vine.
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