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 — to right of shoot →

[sketch]

 

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

 


Return to homepage

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

File last updated 11 February, 2026