Reversible bending of U-shaped plant petioles under dehydration.

ABSTRACT: The shape of plants can be sensitive to dehydration. Here, we focus on herbaceous plants whose petiole cross-section is U-shaped and contains a lot of water. Among a large range of plants showing the same behaviour, we examine Spathiphyllum that exhibits a pronounced, sudden but reversible drooping under dehydration. We show that it is the consequence of a high-amplitude hinge mechanism located at the base of its long petioles, similar to a carpenter's tape folding under sufficient load. Mechanical testing demonstrated that small-amplitude bending rigidity decreases by only a factor of three during dehydration, due to tissue shrinkage rather than material softening. The petiole is composed of water-rich parenchyma tissue: drooping occurs abruptly at 35%-40% of mass loss, remaining r

SUBMITTER: Schliebach A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12722063 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature