Our young climbing plant in the shade of the forest acts in exactly the same way. If there is any trunk of a suitable size, it will in the course of its revolving or sweeping round first touch and then coil itself round and round the trunk.[137] Of these twining stems, one of the most interesting and beautiful is the common Hop. The young shoots or suckers which come from the ground may be seen waving their stems helplessly round in the air. If they cannot find something to cling to, then they form weak limp curves, but if one such shoot touches a pole it very soon obtains a hold, wraps itself round the support, and easily climbs up to a height of many feet. But the Hop is worth examining closely. If one passes the fingers along the stem, it feels rough and prickly. With the aid of a hand-lens, a whole series of most exquisite little hooks will be discovered. They are like small pimples with two or three very fine and minute, sharp grappling-hooks on the top. These prevent the stem from slipping off. It is also helped in climbing by its leaves, which curve outwards, and are also provided with grappling prickles on the under side. At the top of the stem the young leaves are close together, and folded near the point, so as not to interfere with the tip finding its way in and out of a trellis-work or amongst branches. [137] Henslow, _Origin of Plant Structures_; Warming, _Rev. Gen. de Bot._, tom. 5, p. 213. These grappling-hooks on the Hop are as perfect in their way, though by no means so beautiful and elegant as those which are found in the climbing palm, Desmoncus, so well described by Kerner in his _Natural History of Plants_. It is one of the rotang palms which reach lengths of 600 feet, though their stem may be no more than 1-1/3 to 2 inches thick. The leaflets towards the end of the leaf are transformed into strong spiny barbs which are exquisitely adapted to hang on to other plants. In many places, thickets in which these rotang palms have developed are so matted and tangled together that it is quite impossible even to cut into them, and they are practically impenetrable. [Illustration: IN A KENTISH HOP GARDEN.] Some of our common British twiners climb very quickly. A complete turn round the supporting pole was made in England, at Charles Darwin's home, in the following times. The Hop took 2 hrs. 8 mins., Wistaria 2 hrs. 5 mins., Convolvulus 1 hr. 42 mins., and Phaseolus 1 hr. 54 mins. A Honeysuckle took 7 hrs. 30 mins. to make one complete turn round the support.