skip to content
Home

Darwin Correspondence Project

From Daniel Oliver   [28 January – 8 February 1864]1

Botanists have no choice but to regard some tendrils as leaf—, & others as stem-formations. 2

In Vitis there seems no room whatever for a doubt but that the tendril is an axial or stem-structure. Analogy with other plants buildt up of similar sympodia—as they are called—or superimposed axes3—& especy the tendency constantly shewn in some vines to bear flowers upon tendrils appear to me to settle their case sufficiently.—

Passiflora is much more perplexing. From analogy I shd. expect the nature of their tendrils to be similar to that of Gourd-tendrils.

Some, however, do look as tho’ they might be axillary branches. They may, however, be the modified first leaf of an axilly. (or slightly extra-axilly.) shoot.4

I do not recollect seeing any clear discussion about Passion-flower tendrils & have carefully examined them.—5

Clematis. The genus Naravelia (close to Clematis) has the terminal leaflet & upper lateral leaflets converted into tendrils like Pea.6

CD annotations

Bottom of page: ‘Tendrils’ pencil

Footnotes

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter, the enclosure attached to the letter to J. D. Hooker, [27 January 1864], and the letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864].
3
Sympodium: ‘An apparent axis or stem in a dichotomously branched plant, made up of the bases of successive branches so arranged as to resemble a simple or monopodial axis’ (OED).
4
Oliver is comparing Passiflora tendrils with those of gourds, a member of the Cucurbitaceae. For a definition of ‘axillary’, see the letter to David Oliver, 11 March [1864] and n. 7; see also letter from Daniel Oliver, 12 March 1864 and n. 4.
5
For CD’s eventual conclusions about the genesis of tendrils in the Vitaceae and in the Passifloraceae, which include passion flowers, see letter to J. D. Hooker, [27 January 1864] and n. 20. See also letter from Daniel Oliver, 12 March 1864.
6
Clematis and Naravelia were both members of the Ranunculaceae. For a reference by CD to Naravelia, see ‘Climbing plants’, pp. 34, 112.

Bibliography

‘Climbing plants’: On the movements and habits of climbing plants. By Charles Darwin. [Read 2 February 1865.] Journal of the Linnean Society (Botany) 9 (1867): 1–118.

OED: The Oxford English dictionary. Being a corrected re-issue with an introduction, supplement and bibliography of a new English dictionary. Edited by James A. H. Murray, et al. 12 vols. and supplement. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1970. A supplement to the Oxford English dictionary. 4 vols. Edited by R. W. Burchfield. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1972–86. The Oxford English dictionary. 2d edition. 20 vols. Prepared by J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1989. Oxford English dictionary additional series. 3 vols. Edited by John Simpson et al. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1993–7.

Summary

Botanists are obliged to regard tendrils as either leaf- or stem-formations. Vitis, Passiflora, and Clematis are discussed. [See 4398.]

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-4398F
From
Daniel Oliver
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Source of text
DAR 157.2: 97
Physical description
Amem 1p †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4398F,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4398F.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12

letter

Darwin Correspondence Project
darwin@lib.cam.ac.uk

© University of Cambridge 2022

Copyright declaration

Privacy policy

Website by Surface Impression

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge