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The Power of Movement in Plants by Charles Darwin;Sir Francis Darwin
page 43 of 647 (06%)

Fig. 24. Lathyrus nissolia: circumnutation of stem of young seedling,
traced in darkness on a horizontal glass, from 6.45 A.M. Nov. 22nd, to 7
A.M. 23rd. Movement of end of leaf magnified about 12 times, here reduced
to one-half of original scale.

The cotyledons are hypogean, and the epicotyl breaks through the ground in
an arched form. The movements of a stem, 1.2 inch in height, consisting of
three internodes, the lower one almost wholly subterranean, and the upper
one bearing a short,
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narrow leaf, is shown during 24 h., in Fig. 24. No glass filament was
employed, but a mark was placed beneath the apex of the leaf. The actual
length of the longer of the two ellipses described by the stem was about
.14 of an inch. On the previous day the chief line of movement was nearly
at right angles to that shown in the present figure, and it was more
simple.

Cassia tora* (Leguminosae).--A seedling was placed before a

Fig. 25. Cassia tora: conjoint circumnutation of cotyledons and hypocotyl,
traced on vertical glass, from 7.10 A.M. Sept. 25th to 7.30 A.M. 26th.
Figure here given reduced to one-half of original scale.

* Seeds of this plant, which grew near the sea-side, were sent to us by
Fritz Müller from S. Brazil. The seedlings did not flourish or flower well
with us; they were sent to Kew, and were pronounced not to be
distinguishable from C. tora.
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