To test the role of stem elongation in stem bending, two types of experiments were carried out. In one, the flowers were held dry in cardboard boxes at 5 ◦C for 2 or 7 d, directly after harvest. After storage the stem ends were recut in air (removing about 5 cm) and placed in water. Both after 2 and 7 d of dry storage, the rate of stem elongation during vase life was considerably smaller than in controls that had not been stored dry (Fig. 9). Unexpectedly, the 2 d of dry storage at 5 ◦C resulted in a delay in stem bending during