THE LIANAS 



the lianas, describes the cHmbing palms as "sprawHng climbers." 

 He means by this that the lianas with sprawling leaves or branches 

 pile themselves up on their supports, so that their spines and hooks 

 gain all the better purchase. Even our brambles are 

 able to climb in this fashion. In Brazil many plants 

 do so, as, for example, some of the Leguminosae 

 (Machaerium), the beautiful Bougainvillea, which in 

 Brazil is called "Sempre lustrosa" or "Primavera," 

 and others. 



Of the lianas which put forth roots from their 

 stems, in order to clamp themselves to the support- 

 ing stem, the Monstera has already been mentioned. 

 That there should be such "root-climbers" should 

 not surprise us ; we have already seen that the Indian 

 fig sends down roots from its boughs, and if a branch 

 of a willow-tree or a rose-bush is pegged down to 

 the ground it will send out roots. In America the 

 Bignoniaceae, of which the beautiful flowering Bow- . . 

 wood tree and the Jacaranda are members, have f 

 produced some magnificent lianas. One of these, |/ 

 which is found in North America, and has even n 

 been introduced into the central and southern parts \i 

 of Germany, is the climbing Trumpet-flower. This \/ 

 blossoming creeper, with its large, blazing red, i 

 funnel-shaped, bell-mouthed flowers, clings to bare Fi^ 

 walls with "suckers" like those of our ivy, which 

 grow from the axils of the leaves and shoots. 



The "Cat's-claw" creeper, so widely distributed 

 in Brazil (Fig. 4, B), has developed still further on 

 these lines. This climber is such a singular plant 

 that one might almost suspect it of conscious animal 

 activity. For example, we may find that such a 

 liana has smothered a tree with its luxuriant growth ; 

 it is held fast by numbers of roots which have grown 

 out of its slender stems. But now comes a time when 

 all the available space is occupied, and the liana, if 

 it is to continue its urgent growth, must seek a fresh 

 support. A delicate green shoot appears, grows longer and longer, and 

 sways to and fro in the breeze. But what do we find growing out of 

 it? Clutching the air like the claws of a cat, or, better still, the talons 

 of a hawk, the gripping organs grow out of it in all directions. They 



93 



4. — A, Leaf 

 of the climbing 

 palm, Jacytara 

 (reduced). Beside 

 it a fragment of 

 stalk showing 

 the spines and 

 reverted hooks 

 on the under 

 side of the leaf. 

 B, Young shoot 

 of the "Cat's- 

 claw" creeper 

 with grappling- 

 hooks (natural 

 size) 



