Page 9 - Amazing Creations Volume Two
P. 9
Amazing Creations 32
Richard Gunther
Plants that climb could be accused of being lazy, because they take
advantage of another plant's hard work, but the real reason is
economical, because the climber can put more energy into leaves.
Some climbers use hooks, sticky pads, or suckers, which means they
don't need a thick, supportive stem.
The passion flower uses tendrils to hold on with.
These tendrils are amazing in that they attach to only the best
places - if a surface is too smooth, the tendril lets go and tries again.
It can also coil in a positive AND a negative way.
The tendril becomes a spring, or shock-absorber.
As it coils, it pulls the flower closer to its host.
The coiling in both directions from the middle produces a "zero twist"
because both sides cancel each other out.
How did a plant ever work out how to make tendrils?
How did the plant know how to make a spring with "zero twist"?
It didn't - God created it this way.
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