A tendril is a threadlike, leafless organ of climbing plants, often growing in spiral form, which attaches itself to or twines round some other body, so as to support the plant. There are many plants that have tendrils, including peas, passionflower, grapes and cucumbers.
Charles Darwin was the first to study cucumber tendrils in the 1860’s, and published an extensive book on climbing plants in 1865, which included a section on the tendrils of cucumbers and its relatives of the family Cucurbitaceae.
More than 150 years later, a study from scientists at Harvard University finally describes the mechanism by which coiling of cucumber tendrils occurs.