Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
Cucurbita ovifera: Sensitiveness of the apex of the Radicle.—The tips
proved ill-fitted for the attachment of cards, as they are extremely
fine and flexible. Moreover, owing to the hypocotyls being soon
developed and becoming arched, the whole radicle is quickly displaced
and confusion is thus caused. A large number of trials were made, but
without any definite result, excepting on two occasions, when out of 23
radicles 10 were deflected from the attached squares
of card, and 13 were not acted on. Rather large squares, though
difficult to affix, seemed more efficient than very small ones.
We were much more successful with caustic; but in our first trial, 15
radicles were too much cauterised, and only two became curved from the
blackened side; the others being either killed on one side, or
blackened equally all round. In our next trial the dried tips of 11
radicles were touched momentarily with dry caustic, and after a few
minutes were immersed in water. The elongated marks thus caused were
never black, only brown, and about ½ mm. in length, or even less. In 4
h. 30 m. after the cauterisation, 6 of them were plainly curved from
the side with the brown mark, 4 slightly, and 1 not at all. The latter
proved unhealthy, and never grew; and the marks on 2 of the 4 slightly
curved radicles were excessively minute, one being distinguishable only
with the aid of a lens. Of 10 control specimens tried in the same jars
at the same time, not one was in the least curved. In 8 h. 40 m. after
the cauterisation, 5 of the radicles out of the 10 (the one unhealthy
one being omitted) were deflected at about 90°, and 3 at about 45° from
the perpendicular and from the side bearing the brown mark. After 24 h.
all 10 radicles had increased immensely in length; in 5 of them the
curvature was nearly the same, in 2 it had increased, and in 3 it had
decreased. The contrast presented by the 10 controls, after both the 8
h. 40 m. and the 24 h. intervals, was very great; for they had
continued to grow vertically downwards, excepting two which, from some
unknown cause, had become somewhat tortuous.
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