Botany; Geotropism; Plants -- Irritability and movements
Cassia mimosoides.—The cotyledons of this Indian species, 14 days after
their first expansion, and when a leaf had been formed, stood during
the day horizontal, and at night vertical.
Cassia sp? (a large S. Brazilian tree raised from seeds sent us
by F. Müller).—The cotyledons, after 16 days from their first
expansion, had increased greatly in size with two leaves just formed.
They stood horizontally during the day and vertically at night, but
were not afterwards observed.
Cassia neglecta (likewise a S. Brazilian species).—A seedling, 34 days
after the first expansion of its cotyledons, was between 3 and 4 inches
in height, with 3 well-developed leaves; and the cotyledons, which
during the day were nearly horizontal, at night stood vertical, closely
embracing the young stem. The cotyledons of another seedling of the
same age, 5 inches in height, with 4 well-developed leaves, behaved at
night in exactly the same manner.
It is known[26] that there is no difference in structure between the
upper and lower halves of the pulvini of leaves, sufficient to account
for their upward or downward movements. In this respect cotyledons
offer an unusually good opportunity for comparing the structure of the
two halves; for the cotyledons of Oxalis Valdiviana rise vertically at
night, whilst those of O. rosea sink vertically; yet when sections of
their pulvini were made, no clear difference could be detected between
the corresponding halves of this organ in the two species which move so
differently. With O. rosea, however, there were rather more cells in
the lower than in the upper half, but this was likewise the case in one
specimen of O. Valdiviana. the cotyledons of both species (3½ mm. in
length) were examined in the morning whilst extended horizontally, and
the upper surface of the pulvinus of O. rosea was then wrinkled
transversely, showing that it was in a state of compression, and this
might have been expected, as the cotyledons sink at night; with O.
Valdiviana it was the lower surface which was wrinkled, and its
cotyledons rise at night.
[26] Pfeffer, ‘Die Period. Bewegungen,’ 1875, p. 157.
Trifolium is a natural genus, and the leaves of all
the species seen by us are pulvinated; so it is with the cotyledons of
T. subterraneum and strictum, which stand vertically at night; whereas
those of T. resupinatum exhibit not a trace of a pulvinus, nor of any
nocturnal movement. This was ascertained by measuring the distance
between the tips of the cotyledons of four seedlings at mid-day and at
night. In this species, however, as in the others, the first-formed
leaf, which is simple or not trifoliate, rises up and sleeps like the
terminal leaflet on a mature plant.
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