Insectivorous Plants eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 527 pages of information about Insectivorous Plants.

Insectivorous Plants eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 527 pages of information about Insectivorous Plants.

[(1) A minute fragment of a fly was placed on one side of the disc, and after 32 m. seven of the outer tentacles near the fragment were inflected; after 10 hrs. several more became so, and after 23 hrs. a still greater number; and now the blade of the leaf on this side was bent inwards so as to stand up at right angles to the other side.  Neither the blade of the leaf nor a single tentacle on the opposite side was affected; the line of separation between the two halves extending from the footstalk to the apex.  The leaf remained in this state for three days, and on the fourth day began to re-expand; not a single tentacle having been inflected on the opposite side.

(2) I will here give a case not included in the above thirty-five experiments.  A small fly was found adhering by its feet to the left side of the disc.  The tentacles on this side soon closed in and killed the fly; and owing probably to its struggle whilst alive, the leaf was so much excited that in about 24 hrs. all the tentacles on the opposite side became inflected; but as they found no prey, for their glands did not reach the fly, they re-expanded in the course of 15 hrs.; the tentacles on the left side remaining clasped for several days.

(3) A bit of meat, rather larger than those commonly used, [page 238] was placed in a medial line at the basal end of the disc, near the footstalk; after 2 hrs. 30 m. some neighbouring tentacles were inflected; after 6 hrs. the tentacles on both sides of the footstalk, and some way up both sides, were moderately inflected; after 8 hrs. the tentacles at the further or distal end were more inflected than those on either side; after 23 hrs. the meat was well clasped by all the tentacles, excepting by the exterior ones on the two sides.

(4) Another bit of meat was placed at the opposite or distal end of another leaf, with exactly the same relative results.

(5) A minute bit of meat was placed on one side of the disc; next day the neighbouring short tentacles were inflected, as well as in a slight degree three or four on the opposite side near the footstalk.  On the second day these latter tentacles showed signs of re-expanding, so I added a fresh bit of meat at nearly the same spot, and after two days some of the short tentacles on the opposite side of the disc were inflected.  As soon as these began to re-expand, I added another bit of meat, and next day all the tentacles on the opposite side of the disc were inflected towards the meat; whereas we have seen that those on the same side were affected by the first bit of meat which was given.]

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Insectivorous Plants from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.