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
In the course of about two days after a tendril has arranged its branches
so as to press on any surface, the curved tips swell, become bright red,
and form on their under-sides the well-known little discs or cushions
with which they adhere firmly. In one case the tips were slightly
swollen in 38 hrs. after coming into contact with a brick; in another
case they were considerably swollen in 48 hrs., and in an additional 24
hrs. were firmly attached to a smooth board; and lastly, the tips of a
younger tendril not only swelled but became attached to a stuccoed wall
in 42 hrs. These adhesive discs resemble, except in colour and in being
larger, those of _Bignonia capreolata_. When they were developed in
contact with a ball of tow, the fibres were separately enveloped, but not
in so effective a manner as by _B. capreolata_. Discs are never
developed, as far as I have seen, without the stimulus of at least
temporary contact with some object. {146} They are generally first
formed on one side of the curved tip, the whole of which often becomes so
much changed in appearance, that a line of the original green tissue can
be traced only along the concave surface. When, however, a tendril has
clasped a cylindrical stick, an irregular rim or disc is sometimes formed
along the inner surface at some little distance from the curved tip; this
was also observed (p. 71) by Mohl. The discs consist of enlarged cells,
with smooth projecting hemispherical surfaces, coloured red; they are at
first gorged with fluid (see section given by Mohl, p. 70), but
ultimately become woody.
As the discs soon adhere firmly to such smooth surfaces as planed or
painted wood, or to the polished leaf of the ivy, this alone renders it
probable that some cement is secreted, as has been asserted to be the
case (quoted by Mohl, p. 71) by Malpighi. I removed a number of discs
formed during the previous year from a stuccoed wall, and left them
during many hours, in warm water, diluted acetic acid and alcohol; but
the attached grains of silex were not loosened. Immersion in sulphuric
ether for 24 hrs. loosened them much, but warmed essential oils (I tried
oil of thyme and peppermint) completely released every particle of stone
in the course of a few hours. This seems to prove that some resinous
cement is secreted. The quantity, however, must be small; for when a
plant ascended a thinly whitewashed wall, the discs adhered firmly to the
whitewash; but as the cement never penetrated the thin layer, they were
easily withdrawn, together with little scales of the whitewash. It must
not be supposed that the attachment is effected exclusively by the
cement; for the cellular outgrowth completely envelopes every minute and
irregular projection, and insinuates itself into every crevice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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