RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. [Echinocystis lobata?] Shoot no Tendrils / Tendril / Leaf no Tendril [list of measurements]. CUL-DAR157.2.50-51. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Prepared and edited by John van Wyhe 2.2026. 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".
[50a]
Shoot no Tendrils
(A)
8º. 10 —
[sketch]
10. 25' horizontal →
[sketch]
11º vertical. — shoot to left of stick →
[sketch]
11. 30' as at 8º 10' nearly at stick
[sketch]
11º 45 — to right of stick a little —
[sketch]
11. 55 move to right — horizontal
[sketch]
12º 5 a good deal to right —
[sketch]
12º 30' —— horizontal shoot to left
[sketch]
12. 55' shoot to left of stick —
[sketch]
1. 27' shoot to right of stick— [sketch]
1 32 —— [sketch]
2º
2º — to right of shoot →
[sketch]
2º
2º. 10' horizontal
2. 30' shoot to left [sketch]
.3. 10' shoot to right [sketch]
5º 10 ――
[sketch]
(7º. 45 left of shoot [sketch])
[50av]
Tendril
7. 45 Bulls eye of tendril tendril below shoot
8º 5'5' tied shoot tip of shoot & tendril all in line Bulls eye.
9º./ tendril more upright
10.' 15; tendril point to panes on window.
10. 45 do.
11º 35. come back to stick ie 50º (Tendril twists
11º 55 tendril at stick — moved lower window a bit
2. 30' tied tendril shoot downwards, tendril above shoot
[sketch]
3º. 5; horizontal 3. 35 above horizontal & moved onwards a little , how much I know not
4º. 45' at stick, — oscillate itself
7. 15' The turned stem half over about 90º round to left tendril now point to window Bar
[50b]
Leaf no Tendril
7º. 45 long-stick to shoot — leaf like card
8. 7' leaf horizontal. — shoot has moved to left
8'. 25' strictly horizontal
X 9º 40' leaf slewed to left & shoot to left 30º (due to perhaps light) [sketch] 30º Cosine
10. 15 horizontal, a little inclined to left perhaps shoot moved a little towards stick
X 10. 45 leaf slewed to right & shoot come back to stick
11º leaf has gone back to left & shoot moved to left
X 11º 55 shoot has gone back to stick & leaf slewed to right going by left (surface of leaf point to 2 p[illeg] [illeg] (30º apart) owing to bending of curled stem
X 1. 35 has come to stick leaf slewed to left
X 3. 10 come to stick 3º 35 shoot very upright
4' inclined to left very little rotation of stem
X 4. 45; at stick
going to left
X 6 30' nearly at stick— say 6º. 35'
(7º 45 well to left (slight twisting in stem/ )
X 8º. 25' at stick
[50bv]
(July 5.)
Tendril
7º. 40' set stick I think (.) completed 9º. 55; vane uppermost .vertically up
11º 12º oscillating —
11º. 10' put vane on little terminal shoot 11º 10' by stick →
[sketch]
11º 45. ——tendril opposite iron weight——
[sketch]
(B)
11. 55' ――――
[sketch]
12º. 5' tendril moving to left ——
[sketch]
12. 15' still more drawn dragged a little.
[sketch]
12. 55' young t. moving with watch ——
[sketch]
1º. 3' ――――
[sketch]
1. 27' →
[sketch]
1. 55. has been retrograding & set [sketch]
set stick again
2º. 10' tendril has
[sketch] hopped over shoot —
2. 30'
[sketch]
[51]
July 2d
(1
7º. 35 Set Bull's eye to Tendril : to. above shoot depending
8. 35 shoot thrown opposite way ,now opposite stick in window —
8º. 55' set the Bulls eye →
[sketch]
9. 10' ――――
[sketch]
9º. 20 tendril now almost perpendicular & has travelled 90º laterally with watch ——
[sketch]
9º 55 has passed semicircle .....
[sketches] !!——
10º 13' 3/4 of circle complete
[sketch] correct
10. 30; (.) nearly complete [sketch]
10. 45 about 40º past starting point [sketch] has moved quickly
10º 55' travelled about 100º 100º (2d circle) [sketch] tendril has passed over shoot
11º 5' ―――― [sketch]
11º 20 move (semicircle not completed) [sketch] looking at back of Vane
(2
11.' 30' — passed semicircle movement rapid [sketch] view on back & drawn as I see it to my left
11º 40
11º 48' 3/4 of circle must have somehow twisted rapidly { [sketches] !! do viewed back
11º 57' ――—
12º 2 (.) nearly completed —— [sketch] do —
12º. 18 very nearly completed (.) 2d circle
12 24' has passed & completed (.). some little distance; [sketch] do.
rapid movement tendril high to pass shoot [sketch] do
12º. 35'— has travelled about 130º. [sketch] do !! reversed
12 55 semicircle completed —— [sketch] do
(3
12º. 55 or 1º has begun to go retrograde to watch. (stood still for a time) 1º. 5' —— [sketch]
(1º. 10' set microscope to end of shoot)
1º. 30' 3/4 of circle [sketch] for future red not viewed back viewed anyway
1. 55 considerably about 45º more than .
completed (.) Shoot has move 90º. 3d circle [sketch]
2º. 30' semicircle [sketch]
2. 40 has retrograded a little —— [sketch]
2. 45' proceeding
2º. 50' ——Whole bowed shoot twists round —weight of tendril—— [sketch]
3º — ――— [sketch]
3º .13' ――— [sketch]
3/ 25 (.) completed —— [sketch] 4º circle complete
3. 45 passed by about 35º or 4 —— [sketch]
4º 15 about 130º —— [sketch]
4º 40 just past 180º —— [sketch]
[51v]
Tendril
3º. 5' shoot had moved about 60 to left → [sketch]
3. 25' I think retrograding to right
3 45 nearly at stick →
4. 10' shoot has come to right of stick [sketch] x ??
4 50 still moving
5. 10 — [sketch]
5º 43' set stick to shoot itself —— [sketch]
6º 12 shoot moved to left. —
These marks useless
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 11 February, 2026