[APD] Re: Night Growth?

[Kyle Williams <amomum1 at yahoo_com>]

Michi,
 
Actually the increase in length you see overnight is entirely due to elongation (stretching) of the cells .  Cell division occurs in the meristems which are located at the tips of stalks, not in the middle or the base.  By the time you see the tip of the inflorescence (even if it is tiny) all the cells in the stalk below have already been formed.  If you look at the newly formed cells under a microscope you will see they are very tiny square blocks.  But if you look at cells in a mature stalk they are long rectangles.  That was caused by the cells elongating due to water being pumped into those cells.  Two inches of growth in a night seems like a lot but it is entirely possible.

-Kyle
 

Message: 3
Date: Wed, 03 Nov 2004 14:09:57 +1000
From: Michi Henning 
Subject: [APD] Re: Night Growth?
To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com

> From: "Andrew McLeod" 
> 
> Don't plants 'stretch' their cells as part of growth? Does this happen at 
> night?

I don't know whether they stretch their cells or not. But I doubt that
an overnight 2 inch increase in length is due to any kind of stretching.
Those flower spikes are definitely growing, even though it is dark.

Cheers,

Michi.


			
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