Asks HCW’s help with his experiments on Lythrum salicaria, for which he needs flowers of the rare Lythrum hyssopifolia.
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The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
Asks HCW’s help with his experiments on Lythrum salicaria, for which he needs flowers of the rare Lythrum hyssopifolia.
Discusses Lythrum, "a really wonderful case"; asks WED to make observations and collect specimens; sends a diagram which shows what crosses he believes are fertile.
Would like George to watch bees visiting the flowers; wants some pods from different forms to compare shapes and count seeds.
Believes Lythrum is trimorphic. Asks AG for seeds of plants he suspects are polymorphic.
WBT’s "too kind and flattering" article on Orchids.
Family illnesses.
On disposition of wild honeycomb gift.
Discounts the difficulty presented by ostrich wings.
Emma and Leonard have scarlet fever.
Houstonia seems "a grand case"; J. T. Rothrock should publish his observations on the two pollens and the reciprocal action of two hermaphrodites.
Rhexia glandulosa offers nothing odd, but Heterocentron will turn out something marvellous like Lythrum.
Would like to know what AG thinks of last chapter of Orchids.
Leonard Darwin’s illness.
William Darwin and the bank.
Beginning to make out a marvellous case of trimorphism.
Thanks for monstrous floral specimen, but it is a common one.
Relates personal news about family members.
CD is "glad Glen Roy is settled".
Mentions evolutionary remarks on birds by Owen.
Compares variability among lower and higher organisms. Comments on Hooker’s view of the subject.
Forthcoming publication of Huxley’s book [Evidence as to man’s place in nature (1863)] and Lyell’s [Antiquity of man (1863)].
Lythrum. Wants to examine fresh flowers of Lythraceae. Lythrum salicaria has interested him very much.
Microscopes.
Asks whether JDH can think of plants that have different coloured anthers or pollen in same flowers (as in Melastoma) or on same and in different plants as in Lythrum. Would be a safe guide to dimorphism.
Observation of action of pollen in Linum grandiflorum.
CD is well content with sale of 768 copies [of Orchids]. Hopes and expects remainder will ultimately be sold.
Family news; mostly an account of ill health.
Their enumeration [of forms of Lythrum?] is invaluable. He will write later to explain what he is trying to prove about Lythrum through laborious crosses.
Asks for flowers of both forms of Hottonia to measure pollen and compare stigmas.