Asa Gray approves of Orchids; his work on American species confirms CD’s findings.

Asks DO to identify a plant grown from earth adhering to the foot of a woodcock.

Describes floral anatomy of a Catasetum sent by DO.

Has gone on from orchids to studying insect agency in Pelargonium.

His doubts on the worth of publishing Orchids.

Asa Gray has a self-fertilising Platanthera, like the bee orchid. CD believes problem of the latter will some day be explained. Speculates [Ophrys] arachnites may be crossing form and bee orchid self-fertilising form of the same species.

Cytisus adami is a puzzle.

Pleased if DO will review Orchids [Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 371–6] .

His review of Primula paper was capital. [Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 235–43].

Requests peloric plants.

Cares more for dimorphism now than for orchids. Today saw the three forms of Lythrum, which means there should be 18 different practicable crosses.

Exciting work on trimorphism in Lythrum salicaria. Requests Lythraceae from Kew.

Wants to know of plants other than Melastoma and Lythrum with coloured pollen.

Performed a large number of Lythrum crosses before leaving home.

Working on Drosera for amusement. Has tried effect on plants of vegetable substances active on animal nervous systems, e.g., opium; makes Drosera inactive for hours.

Asks DO to name enclosed Lythrum received from CD’s sister-in-law [Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood]

Requests Linum, for dimorphism study.

Reviewer of Orchids [Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 371–6]is correct about the organisation of the book; he wonders who the reviewer is.

Has been copying out references from Natural History Review [possibly D. Oliver, "The structure of the stem in dicotyledons; being references to the literature of the subject", Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 298–329].

Suggests DO study high incidence of separate sexes in freshwater plants.

Examined Epilobium 20 or 30 years ago at Shrewsbury. In a flash remembered it as dimorphic, but had forgotten its name.

Having trouble understanding laws of phyllotaxy in order to grasp Hugh Falconer’s objections.

L. C. Treviranus on Primula [see 3980] misses the "prettiness" of the adaptations.

John Scott says P. scotica is never dimorphic.

Observation on morphology of Primula ovarium sent for DO’s use.

Nectar secretion in Edwardsia. Could the stamen protect stigma?

Sends monstrous Primula with three pistils.

Had never heard of Robert Caspary, but what DO thinks is the placenta could be a whorl of pistils without stigmas.

Asks DO to give enclosed [letter?] from John Scott to Hooker.

JS’s work on orchid self-sterility; Acropera has 371250 seeds in one capsule.

Wishes something could be done for Scott.

Working on monstrous Primula. Is ovule anatropous as Asa Gray says, or amphitropous? Does he know natural path of pollen tubes in Primula. Can the tube enter the ovule by the chalaza?

Thanks for information on Primula ovules. From what DO says the pollen-tubes ought to find their way to the micropyle.

Encourages DO to publish his paper and put his name to it. [Paper apparently not published.] Concurs with his views on primordial nature of hermaphroditism.

Sends F. Hildebrand’s paper for publication by the Linnean Society or in Natural History Review.

Recommends Wyman’s short notice ["Report on Dr Jeffries Wyman’s experiment on the cause of contractility in vegetable tissues"] in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 3 (1852–7): 167.