Chapter III 
SUNLIGHT FACTORIES 
V INES climb in order to get their leaves 
into a better place in the sunlight. They 
have many ways of getting up from the ground. 
Some vines twine their stems about a support 
such as a fence rail, a stick, a bush, or a tree. A 
curious thing about these twining plants is that 
they always twist in the same direction. The 
hop vine winds from right to left, or with the 
sun. The morning glory always goes against 
the sun, or from left to right. 
The cucumber and grape vine have tendrils. 
These look like short stems, but they do not 
have leaves. The ends of the tendrils are 
hooked, and they coil when they strike a sup¬ 
port. Sometimes a real stem acts as a tendril. 
It curls about a support and then continues on 
its way, bearing leaves as it goes. The Boston 
45 
How do plants 
climb? 
