Page:Darwin - On the movements and habits of climbing plants.djvu/111

 Tendril-bearers can, from their first growth, ascend along the outer branches of any neighbouring bush, and thus always keep in the full light; twiners, on the contrary, are best fitted to ascend bare stems, and generally have to start in the shade. In dense tropical forests, with crowded and bare stems, twining plants would probably succeed better than most kinds of tendril-bearers; but the majority of twiners, at least in our temperate regions, from the nature of their revolving movement, cannot ascend a thick trunk whereas this can be effected by tendril-bearers, if the trunks carry many branches or twigs; and in some cases they can ascend by special means a trunk without branches, but with rugged bark.

The object of all climbing plants is to reach the light and free air with as little expenditure of organic matter as possible; now, with spirally ascending plants, the stem is much longer than is absolutely necessary; for instance, I measured the stem of a kidney-bean, which had ascended exactly two feet in height, and it was three feet in length: the stem of a pea, ascending by its tendrils, would, on the other hand, have been but little longer than the height gained. That this saving of stem is really an advantage to climbing plants I infer from observing that those that still twine, but are aided by clasping petioles or tendrils, generally make more open spires than those made by simple twiners. Moreover, such plants very generally, as was observed over and over again with the several leaf-climbers, after taking one or two turns in one direction, ascend for a space straight, and then reverse the direction of their spire. By this means they ascend to a considerably greater height, with the same length of stem, than would otherwise be possible; and they can do it with safety, as they secure themselves at intervals by their clasping petioles.

We have seen that tendrils consist of various organs in a modified state, namely, leaves and flower-peduncles, and perhaps branches and stipules. The position alone generally suffices to show when a tendril has been formed from a leaf; and in Bignonia the lower leaves are often perfect, whilst the upper ones terminate in a tendril in place of a terminal leaflet; in Eccremocarpus I have seen a lateral branch of a tendril replaced by a perfect leaflet; and in Vicia sativa, on the other hand, leaflets are sometimes replaced by tendril-branches; and many other such cases could be given. But he who believes in the slow modification of species will not be content simply to ascertain the homological nature of different tendrils; he will wish to learn, as far as possible, by what steps