THE COMMON STITCHWORT 



of climbing plants. These twining, trailing, rope-like creepers 

 are, in fact, natural ropes, and are used as such in India, 

 Burma, and other places. Sometimes they form natural 

 bridges of living plants extending across a stream. The 

 great suspension bridges in the valleys of the Himalayas are 

 sometimes made without a single nail or plank. They are 

 just three ropes (one for the feet and two to hold on by) 

 made of jungle creepers. Crossing one of these swinging, 

 swaying creeper-bridges is not an easy matter for those whose 

 heads are unaccustomed to depths of hundreds of feet below 

 them, especially if combined with a motion of the creeper- 

 bridge sufficient in itself to produce violent seasickness. Yet 

 the natives run across them with loads on their heads ! 



But it is not necessary to go to the tropics to find 

 interesting and ingenious climbing plants. 



There is a very common little British plant, SteUaria 

 hohstea (the Star of Bethlehem, Great Starwort, or Stitch- 

 wort), which is common in shady places, light woods, and by 

 hedges. In the spring it grows very quickly, and the pairs 

 of leaves are shut together over the growing point, so that 

 the end of the stem is narrow and can insert itself between 

 the leaves and twigs of the neighbouring plants. As soon 

 as such a growing end gets out of the foliage into the light, 

 each pair of leaves opens out and curves backwards, making 

 a pair of broad, curved hooks excellently suited to hang the 

 stem on to the leaves or twigs. Then another period of 

 growth follows, and again a new pair of hook-like leaves 

 opens out. The stem may be five or six feet long. 



In a rather rare Speedwell {Veronica scutellata) a very 

 similar method is used, but the leaves have special little 

 backward-pointing teeth on their edges which assist in the 

 attachment process. 



3x9 



