RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1878.09.28-29. Nachwirkung of Light. CUL-DAR209.8.143-[144]. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, htp://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 7.2022. 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 volumes CUL-DAR209.7-8 contain notes on heliotropism (phototropism) for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).


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1878 Sept 29

A pot with seedlings previously always kept in dark 2 with filaments affixed with triangles of paper & placed before N.E window with blinds drawn up. root & all other sides protected from dark

Nach-wirkung of Light)

movements traced on Horizontal glass— Pot placed only inches beneath glass so not much magnified.— darkened on all sides except towards light.

Apogeotrop

10° 40' exposed to light, till 11° 4' circumnutated for 24': by 11° 20' & 12 4' had moved to light & right — by 12.37' [-] 11 4 [=] 1. 38 a long way to light; so had been exposed to light. (N.E window moderately bright) for nearly 2°, & had travelled to light for about 1° 30'. At 12° 39' completely darkened at 12° 54 1/2 had travelled more to light— so nachwirkung certainly 15 1/2! & certainly move & then continued traveling to light to 1°. 6' (ie for 27'). By (At 1° .6' [+] 5 1/2 [=] 11 1/2 it might have already begun to travel back!) For by At 1° .18' [+] 5 1/2 [=] 23 1/ had gone some way back; so perhaps we may add something perhaps 6' to to the 27' & this wd make nachwirkung 33' ; but will be safer to say certainly more than 15' 30" probably about at least 27' either little more or less. Afterwards it continued through apogeotropism to travel back in the dark & by 2. 15 2° 15 had arrived as far back as point where it had first shown some tendency to travel to light.—

Same seedlings

At .2° 18' exposed again to light & first dot made 2° 20' (see Tracing) Afternoon dark cloudy continued moving from light certainly for 19', perhaps & more probably almost for for 30': this is nachwirkung of apogeotropism— But by 3° (ie after 12' had moved to light. Continued moving to light till 3° 45' when light was shut off

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Nachwirkung

Sept 28th

At 3. 59'; ie After 14' had advanced through nachwirkung to light— After 8' had gone back only a little & obliquely; after additional 6' a little further back, zig-zag. — Therefore I believe at 3° 59' had only just begun or not yet begun to go back & if so nachwirkung lasted for 14' not 4 18' ; but we must remember that seedling exposed for only 1° 27' to cloudy sky before light shut off. — By 5° 6' (ie after 1° 7') had gone back through apogeotropism to where had started at 2° 20'.—


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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 25 September, 2022