Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
(5.) Tropaeolum majus (?) (dwarfed var. called Tom Thumb);
(Geraniaceae, Fam. 47).—The species of this genus climb by the
aid of their sensitive petioles, but some of them also twine round
supports; but even these latter species do not begin to circumnutate in
a conspicuous manner whilst young. The variety here treated of has a
rather thick stem, and is so dwarf that apparently it does not climb in
any manner. We therefore wished to ascertain whether the stem of a
young plant, consisting of two internodes, together 3.2 inches in
height, circumnutated. It was observed during 25 h., and we see in Fig.
72 that the stem moved in a zigzag course, indicating circumnutation.
Fig. 72. Tropaeolum majus (?): circumnutation of stem of young plant,
traced on a horizontal glass from 9 A.M. Dec. 26th to 10 A.M. on 27th.
Movement of bead magnified about 5 times, and here reduced to half of
original scale.
Fig. 73. Trifolium resupinatum: circumnutation of stem, traced on
vertical glass from 9.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. Nov. 3rd. Tracing not
greatly magnified, reduced to half of original size. Plant feebly
illuminated from above.
(6.) Trifolium resupinatum (Leguminosae, Fam. 75).—When we treat of the
sleep of plants, we shall see that the stems in several Leguminous
genera, for instance, those of Hedysarum, Mimosa, Melilotus, etc.,
which are not climbers, circumnutate in a conspicuous manner. We will
here give only a single instance (Fig. 73), showing the circumnutation
of the stem of a large plant of a clover, Trifolium resupinatum. In the
course of 7 h. the stem changed
its course greatly eight times and completed three irregular circles or
ellipses. It therefore circumnutated rapidly. Some of the lines run at
right angles to one another.
Fig. 74. Rubus (hybrid): circumnutation of stem, traced on horizontal
glass, from 4 P.M. March 14th to 8.30 A.M. 16th. Tracing much
magnified, reduced to half of original size. Plant illuminated feebly
from above.
(7.) Rubus idæus (hybrid) (Rosaceae, Fam. 76).—As we happened to have a
young plant, 11 inches in height and growing vigorously, which had been
raised from a cross between the raspberry (Rubus idæus) and a North
American Rubus, it was observed in the usual manner. During the morning
of March 14th the stem almost completed a circle, and then moved far to
the right. At 4 P.M. it reversed its course, and now a fresh tracing
was begun, which was continued during 40½ h., and is given in Fig. 74.
We here have well-marked circumnutation.
(8.) Deutzia gracilis (Saxifrageae, Fam. 77).—A shoot on a bush about
18 inches in height was observed. The bead changed its course greatly
eleven times in the course of 10 h. 30 m. (Fig. 75), and there could be
no doubt about the circumnutation of the stem.
Fig. 75. Deutzia gracilis: circumnutation of stem, kept in darkness,
traced on horizontal glass, from 8.30 A.M. to 7 P.M. March 20th.
Movement of bead originally magnified about 20 times, here reduced to
half scale.
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