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
The young leaves spontaneously and gradually change their position: when
first developed the petioles are upturned and parallel to the stem; they
then slowly bend downwards, remaining for a short time at right angles to
the stem, and then become so much arched downwards that the blade of the
leaf points to the ground with its tip curled inwards, so that the whole
petiole and leaf together form a hook. They are thus enabled to catch
hold of any twig with which they may be brought into contact by the
revolving movement of the internodes. If this does not happen, they
retain their hooked shape for a considerable time, and then bending
upwards reassume their original upturned position, which is preserved
ever afterwards. The petioles which have clasped any object soon become
much thickened and strengthened, as may be seen in the drawing.
_Clematis montana_.—The long, thin petioles of the leaves, whilst young,
are sensitive, and when lightly rubbed bend to the rubbed side,
subsequently becoming straight. They are far more sensitive than the
petioles of _C. glandulosa_; for a loop of thread weighing a quarter of a
grain (16.2 mg.) caused them to bend; a loop weighing only one-eighth of
a grain (8.1 mg.) sometimes acted and sometimes did not act. The
sensitiveness extends from the blade of the leaf to the stem. I may here
state that I ascertained in all cases the weights of the string and
thread used by carefully weighing 50 inches in a chemical balance, and
then cutting off measured lengths. The main petiole carries three
leaflets; but their short, sub-petioles are not sensitive. A young,
inclined shoot (the plant being in the greenhouse) made a large circle
opposed to the course of the sun in 4 hrs. 20 m., but the next day, being
very cold, the time was 5 hrs. 10 m. A stick placed near a revolving
stem was soon struck by the petioles which stand out at right angles, and
the revolving movement was thus arrested. The petioles then began, being
excited by the contact, to slowly wind round the stick. When the stick
was thin, a petiole sometimes wound twice round it. The opposite leaf
was in no way affected. The attitude assumed by the stem after the
petiole had clasped the stick, was that of a man standing by a column,
who throws his arm horizontally round it. With respect to the stem’s
power of twining, some remarks will be made under _C. calycina_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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