40 A.M. July 23rd
to 10.30 P.M. 24th.
which looks exactly like a peduncle, circumnutates whilst growing
vertically downwards, in order to bury the young pod in the ground.
The movements of the flowers of Cyclamen Persicum were not observed; but
the peduncle, whilst the pod is forming, increases much in length, and bows
itself down by a circumnutating movement. A young peduncle of Maurandia
semperflorens, 1 ? inch in length, was carefully observed during a whole
day, and it made 4 ? narrow, vertical, irregular and short ellipses, each
at an average rate of about 2 h. 25 m. An adjoining peduncle described
during the same time similar, though fewer, ellipses.* According to Sachs**
the flower-stems, whilst growing,
* 'The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants,' 2nd edit., 1875, p. 68.
** 'Text-Book of Botany,' 1875,
[[page 226]]
p. 766. Linnaeus and Treviranus (according to Pfeffer, 'Die Periodischen
Bewegungen,' etc., p. 162) state that the flower-stalks of many plants
occupy different positions by night and day, and we shall see in the
chapter on the Sleep of Plants that this implies circumnutation.
Pages:
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381