RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1864.09.21-10.27. Bignonia Tweedyana. CUL-DAR157.1.124. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 4.2023. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here.
The volumes CUL-DAR157.1-2 contain notes, abstracts etc. for Darwin's long paper and later book Climbing plants (1865). It was also commercially available as a softbound offprint, F834, F834a. See R. B. Freeman's bibliographical introduction. Items CUL-DAR157.1.11-60 were in a folder marked "Twiners". Items CUL-DAR157.1.61-112 were in a folder marked "Leaf-climbers" and items CUL-DAR157.1.114-147 were in a folder marked "Tendrils". Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.
Big. Tweedyana. Sept. 21. —64.
Claws curve by gentle rubbing
Petioles curl much & completely round stick. — but have very little or no power of recovering themselves.
A trace of the (In B buxifolia!!! when ascending vertical stick & thicker the one slightly petioles on one side curve round it, showing some sensibility)
Twines well.
The petioles move spontaneously one made 3 vertical ellipses in course of about 11°. The next day opposite leaf moved laterally in irregular ellipse or spire. —
I strongly believe that petioles B. unguis moves, & this will account for both petioles catching vertical stick.
One shoot 2°. 33' made 2 fine large, but [sketch]
irregular circles, in reversed direction in 5° 5'— Another shoot made a wide irregular course, with loops in it
(Oct 2d. It is certain that petioles of B. buxifolia moves constantly & but slowly in very small vertical ellipses or irregularly.—)
Oct 27th. Twine spirally— 2 branches on same plant twined in opposite way— sometimes from catching run up for a space straight, but never reversed spire.—
Emit bunch of rootlets at base of leaves which adhere— wd stand a hurricane on smallest bamboo. — perhaps rootlets give moisture or nutriment. —
Tendrils & petioles thicken after catching—
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 20 July, 2023