RECORD: Darwin, C. R. Emma & Henrietta Darwin. 1864.05.18-06.20. Eccremocarpus in hothouse shoots certainly move. CUL-DAR157.2.3-4. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 5.2023. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.

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-DAR157.11-60 were in a folder marked "Twiners". Items CUL-DAR157.61-112 were in a folder marked "Leaf-climbers" and items CUL-DAR157.114-147 were in a folder marked "Tendrils". Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin.


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May 18th 1864 Ecromocarpus [Eccremocarpus] in hothouse shoots certainly move & rapidly but sweep small circles being generally upright. Differently from other plants the shoot alternately move & remain stationary— I presume owing to age of shoot. Differently from all other plants the opposite leaves move up & down on the same vertical plane— I have measured a pair of leaves forming an angle of 59° & shortly afterwards 106° there is little movement close to axis but whole footstalk bends up & down. The tendril sweeps from side to side & I believe after catching

[1v]

Whilst the shoot pauses, for many hours in its revolution & this is not due to state of growth, the leaves continue to move up & down—

[in margin:] I could not see

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an object the branches readjust themselves. I have observed one leaf rise up so that its leaflets almost touch the axis whilst the opposite leaf remains stationary. I have seen one tendril bent to one side & then opposite tendril bent to the opposite side.

May 26' cannot adhere to painted wood as Cobæa does — nor to cylindrical stick — nor to wool or cotton wool as Bign. capreolata does.— but did pretty well to any rough Bark. — Tendrils do not move from light to a dark surface. Cobæa could catch cylindrical stick & cd. climb very smooth bark Eccremocarpus can catch well leaves of Asparagus, & I believe thin stick. —

The main sub-branches at first sensitive & take a  complete turn round single bristle, which is enough to excite them

[3bv]

June 3d. I find that the movement of branches of t. are to get blunt hooks to surface:— When t. catches cotton wool of wool one can see that tips alone have great tendency to curl inwards. Can catch small stick so that t. goes round & catches itself; but cannot well manage larger stick.— Cannot cat very well catch very rugged bark, though it takes advantage of every inequality— & t. flows like a river, on a map over the inequalities. Can climb splendidly asparagus plant— on bunch of very think rushes or bristle. it seize little parcel or single one & then by spiral contraction of all stems draws (diagram?) them into one large bundle in very pretty manner. — Did not at all well seize wool or cotton-wool — The spiral contraction tends to withdraw t. from bark or smooth stick if thicker than man's thumb & even from thinner stick sometimes

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Eccremocarpus

When a t. catches stick, often branches do not come down — no sympathy— & contraction of branches sometime draws them off.— they spread well out on bark, but contraction draws some off— they do not com soon down to tow. — grass & Asparagus & bristles far best Here contraction merely makes a bundle

June 7. When tendril had caught asparagus plant it is really pretty to see how many separate leaflets the ends of the tendrils curl firmly round & then by the spiral contraction of each branch & equal support

[3v]

is given to the whole tendril.

So it is with the Tropical rush. each fibre of which is only a little thicker than a bristle. A single one can be firmly seized; & then by the spiral contraction many are brought together & entangled in the main spires. So it is with a very thin stick. With a stick as thick as a small finger the to catches itself & makes a loose loop. It is certain that extremities of each branchlet bend abruptly & catch a small object

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Can even catch single bristles pretty firmly, & collects them into bundles so that it takes a firm grip of 20 or 30 altogether. When the t. catches a thin smooth stick the branchlets spread out elegantly with hooks downwards, but the spiral contraction generally spoils this & leaves a loose ring. The t. catches pretty well any rugged bark by the spiral contraction drawing tight opposite hooks. but many hooks leave the bark.

[4bv]

June 20th. Finally can well catch thin stick, if so thin then end of t. can well catch itself. Thick stick, I remember, often lost. — Can catch with moderate firmness rugged bark— It is not excited by tow; but catches it a little, because ends of tendrils branches naturally become incurved. — Cannot adhere to smooth wood, as Cobæa can —


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 21 July, 2023