Clever Tulips

           
A few years ago I planted tulips in a heavy stoneware pot. It was on top of an old tree stump, which, inevitably rotted. The pot ended up on the ground, upside down. It was too heavy for me to turn over so, being lazy, I left it where it fell. 
This year, the tulips have pushed themselves out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot - and are about to flower! They have changed direction completely in their search for the light. How clever is that?

I wonder how anything underground knows which way is up. Gravity I suppose, but it is incredible whatever they use. Those tulips give a new meaning to 'doing a Uey'

I wonder how anything underground knows which way is up. Gravity I suppose,  but it is incredible whatever they use. Those tulips give a new meaning to 'doing a Uey'

Yep, not read about it before, but it's called gravitropism. The root tips of plants have cells called statocytes which contain grains of starch called statoliths. The statoliths sediment to the bottom of the cells under gravity, which sends a signal to other cells to unevenly distribute the growth hormones in the root tip, so one side of the root grows faster than the other, causing it to curve downwards.

I wonder how anything underground knows which way is up. Gravity I suppose,  but it is incredible whatever they use. Those tulips give a new meaning to 'doing a Uey'

Yep, not read about it before, but it's called gravitropism. The root tips of plants have cells called statocytes which contain grains of starch called statoliths. The statoliths sediment to the bottom of the cells under gravity, which sends a signal to other cells to unevenly distribute the growth hormones in the root tip, so one side of the root grows faster than the other, causing it to curve downwards.

Very clever. I wonder what happens to things grown in space.  I expect Google will tell me.  Yet another topic for your scientific mind to research TMTT.