Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
To show that the movement of the petiole is in all probability due to
the varying turgescence of the pulvinus, and not to growth (in
accordance with the conclusions of Pfeffer), a very old leaf, with some
of its leaflets yellowish and hardly at all sensitive, was selected for
observation, and the plant was kept at the highly favourable temp. of
80° F. The petiole fell from 8 A.M. till 10.15 A.M., it then rose a
little in a somewhat zigzag line, often remaining stationary, till 5
P.M., when the great evening fall commenced, which was continued till
at least 10 P.M. By 7 A.M. on the following morning it had risen to the
same level as on the previous morning, and then descended in a zigzag
line. But from 10.30 A.M. till 4.15 P.M. it remained almost motionless,
all power of movement being now lost. The petiole, therefore, of this
very old leaf, which must have long ceased growing, moved periodically;
but instead of circumnutating several times during the day, it moved
only twice down and twice up in the course of 24 h., with the ascending
and descending lines not coincident.
It has already been stated that the pinnae move independently of the
main petiole. The petiole of a leaf was fixed to a cork support, close
to the point whence the four pinnae diverge, with a short fine filament
cemented longitudinally to one of the two terminal pinnae, and a
graduated semicircle was placed close beneath it. By looking vertically
down, its angular or lateral movements could be measured with accuracy.
Between noon and 4.15 P.M. the pinna changed its position to one side
by only 7°; but not continuously in the same direction, as it moved
four times to one side, and three times to the opposite side,
in one instance to the extent of 16°. This pinna, therefore
circumnutated. Later in the evening the four pinnae approach each
other, and the one which was observed moved inwards 59° between noon
and 6.45 P.M. Ten observations were made in the course of 2 h. 20 m.
(at average intervals of 14 m.), between 4.25 and 6.45 P.M.; and there
was now, when the leaf was going to sleep, no swaying from side to
side, but a steady inward movement. Here therefore there is in the
evening the same conversion of a circumnutating into a steady movement
in one direction, as in the case of the main petiole.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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