Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
Lotus Jacoboeus (Leguminosae).—The cotyledons of this plant, after the
few first days of their life, rise so as to stand almost, though rarely
quite, vertically at night. They continue to act in this manner for a
long time even after the development of some of the true leaves. With
seedlings, 3 inches in height, and bearing five or six leaves, they
rose at night about 45°. They continued to act thus for about an
additional fortnight. Subsequently they remained horizontal at night,
though still green
and at last dropped off. Their rising at night so as to stand almost
vertically appears to depend largely on temperature; for when the
seedlings were kept in a cool house, though they still continued to
grow, the cotyledons did not become vertical at night. It is remarkable
that the cotyledons do not generally rise at night to any conspicuous
extent during the first four or five days after germination; but the
period was extremely variable with seedlings kept under the same
conditions; and many were observed. Glass filaments with minute
triangles of paper were fixed to the cotyledons (1½ mm. in breadth) of
two seedlings, only 24 h. old, and the hypocotyl was secured to a
stick; their movements greatly magnified were traced, and they
certainly circumnutated the whole time on a small scale, but they did
not exhibit any distinct nocturnal and diurnal movement. The
hypocotyls, when left free, circumnutated over a large space.
Another and much older seedling, bearing a half-developed leaf, had its
movements traced in a similar manner during the three first days and
nights of June; but seedlings at this age appear to be very sensitive
to a deficiency of light; they were observed under a rather dim
skylight, at a temperature of between 16° to 17½° C.’ and apparently,
in consequence of these conditions, the great daily movement of the
cotyledons ceased on the third day. During the first two days they
began rising in the early afternoon in a nearly straight line, until
between 6 and 7 P.M., when they stood vertically. During the latter
part of the night, or more probably in the early morning, they began to
fall or open, so that by 6.45 A.M. they stood fully expanded and
horizontal. They continued to fall slowly for some time, and during the
second day described a single small ellipse, between 9 A.M. and 2 P.M.,
in addition to the great diurnal movement. The course pursued during
the whole 24 h. was far less complex than in the foregoing case of
Cassia. On the third morning they fell very much, and then
circumnutated on a small scale round the same spot; by 8.20 P.M. they
showed no tendency to rise at night. Nor did the cotyledons of any of
the many other seedlings in the same pot rise; and so it was on the
following night of June 5th. The pot was then taken back into the
hot-house, where it was exposed to the sun, and on the succeeding night
all the cotyledons rose again to a high angle, but did not stand quite
vertically.
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