Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
Oxalis carnosa.—A plant of this Chilian species was exposed for 30 m.
to a clear sky, the thermometer on the grass standing at –2° C., with
some of its leaves pinned open, and not one leaf on the whole bushy
plant was in the least injured. On the 16th of March another plant was
similarly exposed for 30 m., when the temperature on the grass was only
a little lower, viz., –3° to –4° C. Six of the leaves had been pinned
open, and next morning five of them were found much browned. The plant
was a large one, and none of the free leaves, which were asleep and
depended vertically, were browned, excepting four very young ones. But
three other leaves, though not browned, were in a rather flaccid
condition, and retained their nocturnal position during the whole of
the following day. In this case it was obvious that the leaves which
were exposed horizontally to the zenith suffered most. This same pot
was afterwards exposed for 35–40 m. on a slightly colder night, and
every leaf, both the pinned open and the free ones, was killed. It may
be added that two pots of O. corniculata (var.
Atro-purpurea) were exposed for 2 h. and 3 h. to a clear sky with the
temp. on grass –2° C., and none of the leaves, whether free or pinned
open, were at all injured.
Arachis hypogoea.—Some plants in a pot were exposed at night for 30 m.
to a clear sky, the temperature on the surrounding grass being –2° C.,
and on two nights afterwards they were again exposed to the same
temperature, but this time during 1 h. 30 m. On neither occasion was a
single leaf, whether pinned open or free, injured; and this surprised
us much, considering its native tropical African home. Two plants were
next exposed (March 16th) for 30 m. to a clear sky, the temperature of
the surrounding grass being now lower, viz., between –3° and –4° C.,
and all four pinned-open leaves were killed and blackened. These two
plants bore 22 other and free leaves (excluding some very young
bud-like ones) and only two of these were killed and three somewhat
injured; that is, 23 per cent. were either killed or injured, whereas
all four pinned-open leaves were utterly killed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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