Did you know that the vine is a climbing shrub?

Did you know that the vine is a climbing shrub? In nature it tends to creep on the ground but….

… if there are supports or other plants near it, it can cling to them and hold itself upright thanks to the tendrils.

The tendril

The tendril is a modification of the vine stem and appears as a simple filament, but can also be bifid or trifid. It is an organ with thigmotropism (a term that derives from the Greek “tigmo” meaning “touch” and “tropism” meaning “to turn”), a movement that occurs in response to a tactile or contact stimulus.

Thigmotropism

That is, the tendril is attracted by possible holds and when it touches them, its cells begin to produce the plant hormone auxin, a hormone particularly concentrated in young developing tissues, especially at the tips of the shoots, which is then transported to nearby cells that grow faster than the others.

Here the tendril begins to hook onto the support with circular spiral movements, so as to create a firm grip. A well-wound tendril can support a weight of up to 1 kg

During the winter the tendrils lignify like the other parts of the vine forming real small, delicate sculptures, almost works of art! in a spiral and their grip on the threads is so tenacious that it can make winter pruning more tiring.

Their spiraling around the wires in tangles with such a tenacious grip can make it more difficult to detach the shoots when pruning.

A little curiosity: another term to define tendrils is… cirrus!

by Silvia Cirri and Linda Franceschi