Circumnutation

I do like a new word.

I’m a bit of a crossword lover and I enjoy a game of scrabble now and again …so when I find a new word I get all excited.

Circumnutation.

Nothing to do with circumcision, you will be pleased to know – but to do with bindweed twining about its supports in a sweeping circular motion as it tries to reach something to grab on to.

I’ve never really thought about how the plant grows – yet I’ve spent hours trying to get rid of it from my garden.

Apparently, each side of the stem has an unequal growth rate (think about that for a minute) which shifts every so often – causing the growing stem to move around.

Once it touches something solid, the side where the contact occurs begins to grow more quickly than the other – producing a tight coil that advances in an upward direction.

As the plant matures, the main stem undergoes secondary thickening, becoming stronger and more fibrous.

In other news – it’s tap root can penetrate six meters into the soil and the whole plant can regenerate from a 10mm segment.

The tap root can account for 70% of the plants mass.

Does any of this sound familiar?

Mike C