[page 226]
of many plants, for instance, those of Brassica napus, revolve or
circumnutate; those of Allium porrum bend from side to side, and, if this
movement had been traced on a horizontal glass, no doubt ellipses would
have been formed. Fritz M?ller has described* the spontaneous revolving
movements of the flower-stems of an Alisma, which he compares with those of
a climbing plant.
We made no observations on the movements of the different parts of flowers.
Morren, however, has observed** in the stamens of Sparmannia and Cereus a
"fremissement spontan?," which, it may be suspected, is a circumnutating
movement. The circumnutation of the gynostemium of Stylidium, as described
by Gad,*** is highly remarkable, and apparently aids in the fertilisation
of the flowers. The gynostemium, whilst spontaneously moving, comes into
contact with the viscid labellum, to which it adheres, until freed by the
increasing tension of the parts or by being touched.]
We have now seen that the flower-stems of plants belonging to such widely
different families as the Cruciferae, Oxalidae, Leguminosae, Primulaceae,
Scrophularineae, Alismaceae, and Liliaceae, circumnutate; and that there
are indications of this movement in many other families.
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