RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. Abstract of Flahault, Sur le talon de la tigelle de quelques decotylédones. CUL-DAR209.6.194. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 12.2022. 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-DAR209.6 contains materials for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).

Flahault, Charles. 1877. Sur le talon de la tigelle de quelques decotylédones. Bulletin de la Société botanique de France 24: 200-3.


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Bull. Soc. Bot de France Tom 24. 1877.

p. 201 Ch. Flahault "Sur le talon de la tigelle de quelques Dicotylédones"— The heel consists an considerable enlargements of each of the layers of the cortical parenchyma— it is developed early at base of 'tigelle' or hypocotyl & is covered by its epidermis— The talon keeps the seeds of Cucurb. down beneath the earth by the radicle beneath being fixed — whilst the growth of the arched hypocotyl tears & opens the seed-coat— Adds if it were not so the seed-coats wd be carried up in air as with Phaseolus Vulgaris & Ricinus, (N. B. this often occurs, I remember with oxalis & we may suspect serve serve to protect the young Cots. before they are are ready to act.)

[Movement in plants, pp. 101-2: "Nevertheless, in some few cases, especially with the

Cucurbitaceae, the seed-coats are ruptured by a curious contrivance, described by M. Flahault.*

* 'Bull. Soc. Bot. de France,' tom. xxiv. 1877, p. 201."]

p. 202. it is very curious that the the heel is formed always on side turned down towards the earth (must be a kind of geotropism) & I found that

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upper part of Hypocotyl is arched to this side.—

p. 202 if tip of seed-coats are removed on Proper side so that the heel has nothing to catch or hitch against, the seed-coats remain round Cots. for a considerable time & cannot act & do not become green; & plants thus treated are inferior to those which are have naturally naturally cast off their coats.


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

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