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[[Image:Vine.jpg|thumb|A curling tendril]]
[[Image:Nep raf211.jpg|thumb|''[[Nepenthes rafflesiana]]'' upper pitcher with coiled tendril]]
[[Image:Spiky_plant_tendril.jpg|thumb|Spiky Plant Tendril]]
[[Image:VC Tendril.JPG|thumb|[[Virginia creeper]] adhesive Tendril]]
In [[botany]], a '''tendril''' is a specialized [[Plant stem|stem]], [[leaf]] or [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]] with a threadlike shape that is used by [[climbing plant]]s for support and attachment, generally by twining around whatever it touches.
== History ==
The earliest and most comprehensive study of tendrils was [[Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin's]] monograph ''On the Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants,'' which was originally published in 1865. This work also coined the term [[circumnutation]] to describe the motion of growing stems and tendrils seeking supports.
== Biology of tendrils ==
In the [[garden pea]], it is only the terminal leaflets that are modified to become tendrils. In other plants such as the [[yellow vetch]] (''[[Lathyrus aphaca]]'') the whole leaf is modified to become tendrils while the [[stipule]]s become enlarged and carry out [[photosynthesis]]. Still others use the [[rachis]] of a compound leaf as a tendril, such as members of the genus ''[[Clematis]]''.
The specialised pitcher traps of ''[[Nepenthes]]'' plants form on the end of tendrils. The tendrils of aerial pitchers are usually coiled in the middle. If the tendril comes into contact with an object for long enough it will usually curl around it, forming a strong anchor point for the pitcher. In this way, the tendrils help to support the growing stem of the plant.
''Tendril'' can also be used to describe a wisp of hair or indeed anything that resembles the tendrils of plants.
==References==
* Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''Nepenthes of Borneo''. Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu.
{{botany-stub}}
[[Category: plant morphology]]
[[Image:Nep raf211.jpg|thumb|''[[Nepenthes rafflesiana]]'' upper pitcher with coiled tendril]]
[[Image:Spiky_plant_tendril.jpg|thumb|Spiky Plant Tendril]]
[[Image:VC Tendril.JPG|thumb|[[Virginia creeper]] adhesive Tendril]]
In [[botany]], a '''tendril''' is a specialized [[Plant stem|stem]], [[leaf]] or [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]] with a threadlike shape that is used by [[climbing plant]]s for support and attachment, generally by twining around whatever it touches.
== History ==
The earliest and most comprehensive study of tendrils was [[Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin's]] monograph ''On the Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants,'' which was originally published in 1865. This work also coined the term [[circumnutation]] to describe the motion of growing stems and tendrils seeking supports.
== Biology of tendrils ==
In the [[garden pea]], it is only the terminal leaflets that are modified to become tendrils. In other plants such as the [[yellow vetch]] (''[[Lathyrus aphaca]]'') the whole leaf is modified to become tendrils while the [[stipule]]s become enlarged and carry out [[photosynthesis]]. Still others use the [[rachis]] of a compound leaf as a tendril, such as members of the genus ''[[Clematis]]''.
The specialised pitcher traps of ''[[Nepenthes]]'' plants form on the end of tendrils. The tendrils of aerial pitchers are usually coiled in the middle. If the tendril comes into contact with an object for long enough it will usually curl around it, forming a strong anchor point for the pitcher. In this way, the tendrils help to support the growing stem of the plant.
''Tendril'' can also be used to describe a wisp of hair or indeed anything that resembles the tendrils of plants.
==References==
* Clarke, C.M. 1997. ''Nepenthes of Borneo''. Natural History Publications, Kota Kinabalu.
{{botany-stub}}
[[Category: plant morphology]]