T. Steinbrecher, O. Kraft, T. Speck,
B. Melzer, R. Schwaiger

Proceedings of the Sixth Plant Biomechanics Conference, Hrsg. B. Thibault, UMR EcoFoG Campus agronomique - BP 316 97379 Kourou cedex, Guyane Française, Seiten 444-449 (2009)

Permanent attachment pads of Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) have been investigated with respect to the development and the biomechanics of the attachment structures. Both species were observed to accept a wide range of inorganic and organic substrates whereas not every substrate led to the formation of mature attachment pads even when first attachment occurred. Tensile tests on young unlignified and older lignified attachment pads were carried out. Attachment strength of young pads was on average only 28 % of the value found for older lignified pads. The attachment process can be described as a process of at least two steps that can be discerned as pre-attachment and final attachment.