With these facts
before us, bearing also in mind that the tendrils of not a few plants
consist of modified peduncles, we may admit without much doubt that all
growing flower-stems circumnutate.
CIRCUMNUTATION OF LEAVES: DICOTYLEDONS.
Several distinguished botanists, Hofmeister, Sachs, Pfeffer, De Vries,
Batalin, Millardet, etc., have ob-
* 'Jenaische Zeitsch.,' B. v. p. 133.
** 'N. Mem. de l'Acad. R. de Bruxelles,' tom. xiv. 1841, p. 3.
*** 'Sitzungbericht des bot. Vereins der P. Brandenburg,' xxi. p. 84.
[page 227]
served, and some of them with the greatest care, the periodical movements
of leaves; but their attention has been chiefly, though not exclusively,
directed to those which move largely and are commonly said to sleep at
night. From considerations hereafter to be given, plants of this nature are
here excluded, and will be treated of separately. As we wished to ascertain
whether all young and growing leaves circumnutated, we thought that it
would be sufficient if we observed between 30 and 40 genera, widely
distributed throughout the vegetable series, selecting some unusual forms
and others on woody plants.
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