Grasping at Straws

Tuesday, August 4, 2020 Grasping at Straws Vining plants have an amazing ability to grab onto a trellis, fence, or a twig on another plant by curling around it. It's an adaptation that allows the vine to grow rapidly upward using other objects for support. This gives them a distinct advantage over tree or shrub saplings that need to build their own woody support as they grow upwards. But how does it work? The process is called thigmotropism, or touch-induced growth response. Specialized organs..