On the movements and habits of climbing plants

by Charles Darwin

 

ON THE

MOVEMENTS AND HABITS

OF

CLIMBING PLANTS.

BY

CHARLES DARWIN, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S. etc.

 

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From the Journal of the Linnean Society.

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LONDON:

SOLD AT THE SOCIETY'S APARTMENTS, BURLINGTON HOUSE;

AND BY

LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS & GREEN,

AND

WILLIAMS AND NORGATE.

1865.

 

Table of Contents.

PAGE

PAGE

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

1

Part I.—Spirally twining Plants.

Axial twisting ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

5

Nature of the revolving movement ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

7

Purpose of the revolving movement, and manner of the spiral ascent ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

9

Table of the rates of revolution ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

14

Anomalous revolvers ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

21

Variations in the power of twining ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

24

Part II.—Leaf-climbers.

Clematis ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

26

Tropæolum ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

34

Antirrhineæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

38

Solanum ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

41

Fumariaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

43

Cocculus ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

45

Gloriosa ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

45

Flagellaria ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

46

Nepenthes ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

46

Summary on Leaf-climbers ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

47

Part III.—Tendril-bearers.

Bignoniaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

49

Polemoniaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

61

Leguminosæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

65

Compositæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

67

Smilaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

68

Fumariaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

70

Cucurbitaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

73

Vitaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

79

Sapindaceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

87

Passifloraceæ ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

89

Spiral contraction of tendrils ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

92

Summary of the nature and action of tendrils ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

98

Part IV.—Hook- and Root-climbers; Concluding Remarks.

Hook-climbers ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

105

Root-climbers ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

105

Concluding remarks on Climbing-plants ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

107