ses to a weight of many pounds, either break from its stem, or
else pull down the branch on which it grows.

And now we approach the beautiful _Ipomoea_, or major convolvulus,
which affords us a specimen of quite a different mode of progression
from that displayed in any creeper we have as yet looked at, for it
has neither tendril nor fibrous roots. 'Oh, that _must_ be a mistake!'
says some fine lady. 'My last Berlin pattern was of convolvuli, and
that lovely group of flowers I copied had several blossoms in it, and
I am sure there were _plenty_ of tendrils in both.' No doubt, fair
lady; but convolvuli in Berlin patterns, and those which are wrought
in 'nature's looms,' differ wonderfully. In the former, not only the
climbing convolvulus, but the common blue one (_C. minor_), is richly
furnished with tendrils, whilst those of Dame Nature display no such
appendage. Now, take a real flower of this tribe--the common bind-weed
from the hedge will do as well as any other--and you will see that the
means provided for it to run up any stick or stem it may meet, is a
peculiar property it has, of twining its _stem_ round and round that
of any other plant near it; and so strong is this necessity to assume
a spiral coil, or rather to twist and unite itself with some other
stem, that you may often see two, three, or four sister-stalks of the
same plant inwreathed into one stout cable, which union, though it
does not enable the feeble stems to ascend, yet seems to increase
their strength. But supply the young shoot with a stick or wire, or
even a bit of twine, and see how rapidly it will then climb, and
clasp, and throw out longer and stronger shoots, and overspread your
wall with its large bell-shaped flowers, so brilliant with every tint
of white, lilac, pink, and rose colour, and so exquisitely delicate in
their texture, expanding at earliest dawn, and closing, never to
reopen, when the fervid rays of the noonday sun fall on them! But I
must not attempt to depict every variety of holdfast, or every
provision for climbing with which it has pleased God to invest and
beautify the different kinds of creeping-plants: it would detain us
far too long; yet Mrs Grimshawe owes it to herself, to justify her
devotion to the holdfast of the Virginian creeper (_Ampelopsis
hederacea_), and that must be described.

Every one knows this plant, for although a native of North America, it
is now one of the commonest coverings of our walls, as well