11月3日的PRL上有一篇有趣的文章，研究了藤蔓型的植物是如何实现向上生长缠绕的，Physicsweb和APS focus上都报道了这一文章。基本上作者将这个缠绕在垂直树干上的藤蔓系统看作是垂直柱体上生长的弹性条(rod)。文章的意思是缠绕藤自身的曲率是藤蔓能够向上生长的重要因素。这个模型可以解释为什么藤蔓不能在半径大于一定值的树干上生长，他们计算出当树干半径大于3.3倍的藤蔓自然曲率半径时，藤的尖端便不能继续缠绕树干向上生长，而是自身卷曲起来。文章的后一页半研究了摩擦力的影响，很明显，摩擦力是使藤蔓植物能够支撑自身重量的主要原因。

原文摘要

Twining plants achieve vertical growth by revolving around supports of different sizes on which they exert a pressure. This observation raises many intriguing questions that are addressed within the framework of elastic filamentary structures by modeling the stem close to the apex as a growing elastic rod. The analysis shows that vertical growth is achieved thanks to discrete contact points and regions with continuous contact, that the contact pressure creates tension in the stem as observed experimentally, and that there is a maximal radius of the pole around which a twiner can climb.

Mechanics of Climbing and Attachment in Twining Plants
Alain Goriely and Sébastien Neukirch
Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 184302
(issue of 3 November 2006)

Physicsweb：Climbing plants get wrapped up
APS Focus：String Theory for Plants