Plants seem to know which way is up and which way is down；furthermore, they seem to know right from left.If a cutting from a Lombardy poplaris kept alive, new shoots will grow from the end that grew uppermost in the tree.

　　There is no visible difference between the top and the bottom of the living stick, even under a microscope.Even so, the stick will not send out shoots from the end it views as bottom even if this end happens to be on top！

　　Scientists, studying this subject further split their cuttings lengthwise.To their surprise, they made another interesting discovery.A good many more buds grew on the right-hand side of the split surface than on the left.They split the sticks again and found that the buds again grew on the right side.

　　The results of the entire study showed a 60-40 preference for the right side, proving that growing plants are basically “right-handed”。

　　生长中的植物能分辨左右

　　植物似乎知道哪边朝上，哪边朝下；而且，它们似乎还能分辨左右。从伦巴第白杨上砍下的一根枝条如果还活着，原来长在树的最高处的那一端便会抽出新芽。

　　这根活枝条的顶部与底部并无明显差别，即便在显微镜下看也是如此。尽管这样，枝条却不从显微镜观察是底部的那一端抽芽，即使这一端碰巧朝上。

　　研究这一课题的科学家们进一步把他们砍下的枝条纵向切开，使他们惊讶的是，他们又获得另一项有趣的发现。切口表面右侧长出的嫩芽比左侧多得多，他们把枝条再切开，发现嫩芽还是长在右侧。

　　全部研究的结果表明，植物爱偏向右边，向左偏的只占40％，而向左偏的却占60％。这证明了生长中的植物基本上是“右撇子”。