Insectivorous Plants

Insectivorous Plants

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Insectivorous Plants, by Charles Darwin (#23 in our series by Charles Darwin)
Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
Title: Insectivorous Plants
Author: Charles Darwin
Release Date: May, 2004 [EBook #5765] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on August 31, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS ***

Project Gutenberg Etext of Insectivorous Plants by Charles Darwin. Produced by Sue Asscher
[page i]

INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS.

[page ii.]

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
---
ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION; or, THE PRESERVATION OF FAVORED RACES IN THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. New and revised edition. 12mo. Cloth. 480 pages. Price, $2.00.
THE DESCENT OF MAN, AND SELECTION IN RELATION TO SEX. With Illustrations. New edition, revised and augmented. 12mo. Cloth. 704 pages. Price, $3.00.
A NATURALIST'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD; or, A JOURNAL OF RESEARCHES INTO THE NATURAL HISTORY AND GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRIES visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitz-Roy, R.N. 12mo. Cloth. 530 pages. Price, $2.00.
THE EXPRESSION OF THE EMOTIONS IN MAN AND ANIMALS. With Photographic and other Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth. Price, $3.00.
----
THE THEORY OF DESCENT, AND DARWINISM. By Prof. OSCAR SCHMIDT, University of Strasburg. 12mo. Cloth. Price, $1.50.
[page iii.]

INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS

BY CHARLES DARWIN, M.A., F.R.S. ETC.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.

[page iv.]
[page v.]

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
DROSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA, OR THE COMMON SUN-DEW.
Number of insects captured--Description of the leaves and their appendages or tentacles-- Preliminary sketch of the action of the various parts, and of the manner in which insects are captured--Duration of the inflection of the tentacles--Nature of the secretion--Manner in which insects are carried to the centre of the leaf--Evidence that the glands have the power of absorption--Small size of the roots...Pages 1-18

CHAPTER II.
THE MOVEMENTS OF THE TENTACLES FROM THE CONTACT OF SOLID BODIES.
Inflection of the exterior tentacles owing to the glands of the disc being excited by repeated touches, or by objects left in contact with them--Difference in the action of bodies yielding and not yielding soluble nitrogenous matter--Inflection of the exterior tentacles directly caused by objects left in contact with their glands--Periods of commencing inflection and of subsequent re-expansion--Extreme minuteness of the particles causing inflection--Action under water--Inflection of the exterior tentacles when their glands are excited by repeated touches--Falling drops of water do not cause inflection...19-37 [page vi.]

CHAPTER III.
AGGREGATION OF THE PROTOPLASM WITHIN THE CELLS OF THE TENTACLES.
Nature of the contents of the cells before aggregation--Various causes which excite aggregation--The process commences within the glands and travels down the tentacles-- Description of the aggregated masses and of their spontaneous movements--Currents of protoplasm along the walls of the cells--Action of carbonate of ammonia--The granules in the protoplasm which flows along the walls coalesce with the central masses--Minuteness of the quantity of carbonate of ammonia causing aggregation--Action of other salts of ammonia--Of other substances, organic fluids, &c.--Of water--Of heat--Redissolution of the aggregated masses--Proximate causes of the aggregation of the protoplasm--Summary and concluding remarks--Supplementary observations on aggregation in the roots of plants...Pages 38-65

CHAPTER IV.
THE EFFECTS OF HEAT ON THE LEAVES.
Nature of the experiments--Effects of boiling water--Warm water causes rapid inflection-- Water at a higher temperature does not cause immediate inflection, but does not kill the leaves, as shown by their subsequent re-expansion and by the aggregation of the protoplasm-- A still higher temperature kills the leaves and coagulates the albuminous contents of the glands...66-75

CHAPTER V.
THE EFFECTS OF NON-NITROGENOUS AND NITROGENOUS ORGANIC FLUIDS ON THE LEAVES.
Non-nitrogenous fluids--Solutions of gum arabic--Sugar--Starch--Diluted alcohol--Olive oil-- Infusion and decoction of tea--Nitrogenous fluids--Milk--Urine--Liquid albumen--Infusion of raw meat--Impure mucus--Saliva--Solution of isinglass--Difference in the action of these two sets of fluids--Decoction of green peas--Decoction and infusion of cabbage--Decoction of grass leaves...76-84 [page vii.]

CHAPTER VI.
THE DIGESTIVE POWER OF THE SECRETION OF DROSERA.
The secretion rendered acid by the direct and indirect excitement of the glands--Nature of the acid--Digestible substances--Albumen, its digestion arrested by alkalies, recommences by the addition of an acid--Meat--Fibrin--Syntonin--Areolar tissue--Cartilage--Fibro-cartilage-- Bone--Enamel and dentine--Phosphate of lime--Fibrous basis of bone--Gelatine--Chondrin-- Milk, casein and cheese--Gluten--Legumin--Pollen--Globulin--Haematin--Indigestible substances--Epidermic productions--Fibro-elastic tissue--Mucin--Pepsin--Urea--Chitine-- Cellulose--Gun-cotton--Chlorophyll--Fat and oil--Starch--Action of the secretion on living seeds--Summary