his conclusions, Darwin presents the key features of plants from an evolutionary perspective indicating that gradual modification of these processes in response to natural selective forces like light and water could enable extensive ability to adapt. The process that creates the circular or elliptical movement of the stem and tips of plants (circumnutation) was identified as a significant one in enabling plants to evolve and adapt to almost any environment on the planet. Darwin also drew attention to the similarities between animals and plants, e.g., sensitivity to touch (thigmotropism), light sensitivity (phototropism), and gravity (geotropism). Darwin used various methods of enquiry: usually setting up rigorous controlled experiments which are clearly explained in the text, reporting the results and then drawing general conclusions. Studies of nyctinasty were particularly burdensome, to Darwin's rest as well as to the plants: "I think we have proved that the sleep of plants is to lessen the injury to the leaves from radiation. This has interested me much, and has cost us great labour, as it has been a problem since the time of Linnaeus. But we have killed or badly injured a multitude of plants." Content The book is divided into the following chapters, each of which describes types of movements based on Darwin's specific experiments and their results. Chapter 1: The Circumnutating Movements of Seedling Plants Chapter 2: General Considerations of the Movements and Growth of Seedling Plants Chapter 3: Sensitiveness of the Apex of the Radicle to Contact and to other Irritants Chapter 4: The Circumnutating Movements of the several parts of Mature Plants Chapter 5: Modified Circumnutation: Climbing Plants; Epinastic and Hyponastic Movements Chapter 6: Modified Circumnutation: Sleep or Nyctitropic Movements, Their Use: Sleep of Cotyledons Chapter 7: Modified Circumnutation: Nyctitropic or Sleep Movements of Leaves Chapter 8: Modified Circumnutation: Movements excited by Light Chapter 9: Sensitiveness of Plants to Light: its transmitted effects Chapter 10: Modified Circumnutation: Movements excited by Gravitation Chapter 11: Localised Sensitiveness to Gravitation, and its Transmitted Effects Chapter 12: Summary and Concluding Remarks Reception and influence According to Darwin's son Francis, the book was "widely reviewed and excited much interest among the general public." A lead article in the London Times on 20 November 1880, generated notes from acquaintances and friends. The book received critical review by botanist Dr. Julius Wiesner of the University of Vienna. In the Preface to the Da Capo Press Edition of the