Asks whether canary grass and oats have chlorophyll in their cotyledons.
Has been working hard at circumnutation of leaves to see whether sleep movements are exaggerated circumnutation.
Showing 1–20 of 21 items
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 whether canary grass and oats have chlorophyll in their cotyledons.
Has been working hard at circumnutation of leaves to see whether sleep movements are exaggerated circumnutation.
Requests some seeds.
Believes the leaves of Phyllanthus sleep like those of Cassia.
CD cannot find his pincers and other tools for microscopical dissection. Does FD know where he should look?
Hopes FD will feel better after "so complete a change" [trip to North Africa].
Sends his love to George.
Bernard gets more charming every day.
CD has been put on a committee for a memorial fund for W. K. Clifford.
Is increasing FD’s allowance.
Has begun his chapter on sleep of plants [for Movement in plants].
Try to find and read [a German] account of the fir-trees affected by some fungus which produces upright shoots. CD wants to know whether the case is same as what he has observed in the silver fir. Includes diagram.
Wants FD to find out what sort of man Ernst Krause is.
Thanks for FD’s letter describing microscopic work under experienced supervision.
Is glad to hear of C. E. Stahl’s objection to treating plants as mere machines.
Pleased that J. von Sachs has yielded on growth.
Perhaps Stahl will recognise whether the case of the silver fir is the same as that referred to in the German account [see 12074b].
CD has finished the first draft of his essay on Erasmus Darwin’s life and is "heartily sick of the job".
Believes that he will prove that the tip of radicle is the brain as far as geotropism is concerned.
Describes his experiments investigating the geotropic responses of radicles.
Has given his reasons for believing that twisting of stem is related to circumnutation in Climbing plants.
Tells results of experiments on movement of cotyledons and radicles.
Is getting aerial heliotropic roots from Kew.
Movement in plants: Philodendron and Dendrobium.
Will go to London on Thursday to receive Baly Medal. Laura Forster has offered them her house in London.
Movement of radicles.
Suggests experiments to test the response of radicles to light. Considers an alternative term for heliotropism.
Will be curious to have FD’s spiral theory about circumnutation explained to him.
Believes that the response of root tips to being "blinded" with foil is much more interesting than response to cauterisation.
Discusses the movements of radicles. His observations show that sensitivity to touch resides in the root tip and he believes that sensitivity to gravity governing geotropic responses is also in the root tip. Would much like to convert Julius von Sachs to his ideas on radicle movement.
FD’s experiment shows that caustic does not interfere with the bending of radicles. Believes that the apex is a kind of brain for certain movements, being specialised to receive certain irritations.
Stresses importance of ensuring that cauterisation of radicles does not, through injury, prevent movement. Plans an experiment to test for "apheliotropism" in certain radicles.
CD gives suggestions concerning FD’s experiments on the radicles of roots. Asks him to find out whether J. von Sachs tried beans. Should also try other gramineous plants.
Bernard looking forward to his father’s return.
Notes observations on sensitivity and movement of radicles.
Has finished chapter [of Movement in plants] on sleeping plants and is now looking over heliotropism notes.
Is perplexed by Erasmus Darwin; Erasmus [A. Darwin] likes it, but Henrietta thinks it much too long.
Tells arrangements for their journey to Coniston.