Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
The leaves as they grow older generally sink more and more downwards.
The movement of an oldish leaf, the glands of which were still
secreting freely, was traced for 24 h., during which time it continued
to sink a little in a slightly zigzag line. On the following morning,
at 7 A.M., a drop of a solution of carbonate of ammonia (2 gr. to 1 oz.
of water) was placed on the disc, and this blackened the glands and
induced inflection of many of the tentacles. The weight of the drop
caused the leaf at first to sink a little; but immediately afterwards
it began to rise in a somewhat zigzag course, and continued to do so
till 3 P.M. It then circumnutated about the same spot on a very small
scale for 21 h.; and during the next 21 h. it sank in a zigzag line to
nearly the same level which it had held when the ammonia was first
administered. By this time the tentacles had re-expanded, and the
glands had recovered their proper colour. We thus learn that an old
leaf
circumnutates on a small scale, at least whilst absorbing carbonate of
ammonia; for it is probable that this absorption may stimulate growth
and thus re-excite circumnutation. Whether the rising of the glass
filament which was attached to the back of the leaf, resulted from its
margin becoming slightly inflected (as generally occurs), or from the
rising of the petiole, was not ascertained.
In order to learn whether the tentacles or gland-bearing hairs
circumnutate, the back of a young leaf, with the innermost tentacles as
yet incurved, was firmly cemented with shellac to a flat stick driven
into compact damp argillaceous sand. The plant was placed under a
microscope with the stage removed and with an eye-piece micrometer, of
which each division equalled 1/500 of an inch. It should be stated that
as the leaves grow older the tentacles of the exterior rows bend
outwards and downwards, so as ultimately to become deflected
considerably beneath the horizon. A tentacle in the second row from the
margin was selected for observation, and was found to be moving
outwards at a rate of 1/500 of an inch in 20 m., or 1/100 of inch in 1
h. 40 m.; but as it likewise moved from side to side to an extent of
above 1/500 of inch, the movement was probably one of modified
circumnutation. A tentacle on an old leaf was next observed in the same
manner. In 15 m. after being placed under the microscope it had moved
about 1/1000 of an inch. During the next 7½ h. it was looked at
repeatedly, and during this whole time it moved only another 1/1000 of
an inch; and this small movement may have been due to the settling of
the damp sand (on which the plant rested), though the sand had been
firmly pressed down. We may therefore conclude that the tentacles when
old do not circumnutate; yet this tentacle was so sensitive, that in 23
seconds after its gland had been merely touched with a bit of raw meat,
it began to curl inwards. This fact is of some importance, as it
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