RECORD: Darwin, Francis. 1874.07.09 Mimosa pudica. CUL-DAR209.2.92. 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 volume CUL-DAR209.2 contains materials on circumnutation of leaves and stems for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).


[92]

Sensitive Plant

Camphor

July 9 74

9. 25 AM

Covered a pot of M. pudica with a bell glass. in the hot chamber & sprinkled the space between pot & glass & the earth of the pot with bits of camphor.

10.25 – some of the leaves were slightly closed. It required quite strong & close squirting with the spray to make the leaflets close & then they did so in a sluggish way,– They were certainly not so sensitives as an ordinary plant standing in the HotHouse was—

Before the camphor was spread on the ground I tested the sensibility of the plant by tickling separate leaflets with a hair, I could not make them move in this way—


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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 24 July, 2023