Chap. III. BIGNONIACE^. 103 



North America where this species of Bignonia grows. 

 Finally, I may remark how singular a fact it is that 

 a leaf should be metamorphosed into a branched 

 organ which turns from the light, and which can 

 by its extremities either crawl like roots into crevices, 

 or seize hold of minute projecting points, these ex- 

 tremities afterwards forming cellular outgrowths which 

 secrete an adhesive cement, and then envelop by their 

 continued growth the finest fibres. 



Eccremocarpus scaler {Bignoniaceee). Plants, though 

 growing pretty well in my green-house, showed no 

 spontaneous movements in their shoots or tendrils; 

 but when removed to the hot-house, the young inter- 

 nodes revolved at rates varying from 3 hrs. 15 m. to 

 1 hr. 13 m. One large circle was swept at this latter 

 unusually quick rate ; but generally the circles or 

 ellipses were small, and sometimes the course pursued 

 was quite irregular. An internode, after making several 

 revolutions, sometimes stood still for 12 hrs. or 18 hrs., 

 and then recommenced revolving. Such strongly marked 

 interruptions in the movements of the internodes I 

 have observed in hardly any other plant. 



The leaves bear four leaflets, themselves subdivided, 

 and terminate in much-branched tendrils. The 

 main petiole of the leaf, whilst young, moves sponta- 

 neously, and follows nearly the same irregular course 

 and at about the same rate as the internodes. The 

 movement to and from the stem is the most con- 

 spicuous, and I have seen the chord of a curved petiole 

 which formed an angle of 59 with the stem, in an 



