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
On pp. 28, 32, 40, 53, statements are made with reference to the supposed
acceleration of the revolving movement towards the light. It appears
from the observations given in ‘The Power of Movement in Plants,’ p. 451,
that these conclusions were drawn from insufficient observations, and are
erroneous.
THE MOVEMENTS AND HABITS OF CLIMBING PLANTS.
CHAPTER I.
TWINING PLANTS.
Introductory remarks—Description of the twining of the Hop—Torsion of the
stems—Nature of the revolving movement, and manner of ascent—Stems not
irritable—Rate of revolution in various plants—Thickness of the support
round which plants can twine—Species which revolve in an anomalous
manner.
I WAS led to this subject by an interesting, but short paper by Professor
Asa Gray on the movements of the tendrils of some Cucurbitaceous plants.
{1a} My observations were more than half completed before I learnt that
the surprising phenomenon of the spontaneous revolutions of the stems and
tendrils of climbing plants had been long ago observed by Palm and by
Hugo von Mohl, {1b} and had subsequently been the subject of two memoirs
by Dutrochet. {1c} Nevertheless, I believe that my observations, founded
on the examination of above a hundred widely distinct living species,
contain sufficient novelty to justify me in publishing them.
Climbing plants may be divided into four classes. First, those which
twine spirally round a support, and are not aided by any other movement.
Secondly, those endowed with irritable organs, which when they touch any
object clasp it; such organs consisting of modified leaves, branches, or
flower-peduncles. But these two classes sometimes graduate to a certain
extent into one another. Plants of the third class ascend merely by the
aid of hooks; and those of the fourth by rootlets; but as in neither
class do the plants exhibit any special movements, they present little
interest, and generally when I speak of climbing plants I refer to the
two first great classes.
TWINING PLANTS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account