From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
--
Source of text:
Asa Gray Correspondence 122, Archives of the Gray Herbarium
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
--
Source of text:
Asa Gray Correspondence 123, Archives of the Gray Herbarium
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Sir John Herschel
Date:
[4 August 1846]
Source of text:
RS:HS 9.121
Summary:
Has sent to the R.S.L. Vol. 2 of the Memoirs of the American Academy.
Contributor:
John Herschel Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Sir John Herschel
Date:
[30 October 1847]
Source of text:
RAS:JH Archive 10/5.135; Reel 9
Summary:
[Form letter] Acknowledges receipt of JH's Cape Results by library of American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Contributor:
John Herschel Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
26 January 1854
Source of text:
JDH/2/22/1/1 f.2-3, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
JDH thanks Asa Gray for his opinion on an unspecified essay by JDH, letter includes discussion of species & specific centres suggesting the subject of the essay is geographical plant distribution, the definition of a species & whether they are created entities or varieties evolve with environmental influences. JDH refers Gray to his comments in the FLORA ANTARCTICA. He argues against Gray & Agassiz's belief in multiple centres. Discusses the relative importance of genetic resemblance as opposed to habitat, referring to the Dorking Fowl, Manx Cats & Falkland Island rabbits. He favours theories based on observable evidence of geography, physiology etc. Dismisses Agassiz's work, incl on glaciers such as Aletsch, as prejudice not based in fact but on a desire for notoriety. JDH & Lyell like Agassiz personally. JDH looks to Americans for future discoveries in science as he considers them more practical. Bentham has decided to give his herbarium to RBG Kew. Thomas Thomson [TT] wants to be botanist on an expedition to North West Australia, if the East India Company will give him leave. Hurt approves of TT, who was imprisoned with his brother during the Afghanistan campaign. William Jackson Hooker has applied to The Duke of Newcastle on TT's behalf. Writes of progress with FLORA INDICA & distribution of plant sets to Gray, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, St Petersburg, Brown at the British Museum, Lowell & Torrey. Asks Gray about North American Larch, Yew, Junipers & Coniferae incl. Scotch Pine. Uses Yews from Pontrilas as an example of the difficulty of using habitat vs character in determining species. The Deodar Avenue at Kew is another example of how plants may not always have the ideal characteristics of their species. Agrees that species cannot be pronounced the same because they are united by certain forms, gives Mt Lebanon & Himalayan Cedars as example of extreme forms. Argues the difficulty is with local botanists wanting to give local varieties a distinct classification.
Contributor:
Hooker Project
From:
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
24 March 1854
Source of text:
JDH/2/22/1/1 f.4-5, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Summary:
JDH thanks Gray for his critique of one of JDH's papers. JDH knows he is a difficult person when it comes to criticism. He mentions the issue of defining species & the significance of genetic resemblance & explains that he & Thomas Thomson have touched on the subject in the introduction to the FLORA INDICA. This long introduction will also include an account of the history of Indian botany, an essay on the climate & geographical account of the provinces. JDH is distributing & naming his Indian plants & laments the lack of standard nomenclature. He is currently working on Antidesmas with reference to Tulasne's paper, which is imperfect because of the shortcomings in the French collections he consulted. He mentions the difficulty in pinning down the characteristics of wild & cultivated Yew. JDH has taken a house on Kew Green for George Bentham, near William Jackson Hooker's herbarium in Hanover House. The herbarium now has a curator. Sometimes JDH thinks of abandoning Kew to write for the press in London, he finds it hard to support his growing family on a government salary whilst living in expensive Kew. JDH's father WJH is trying to secure JDH's continued employment for the Office of Woods & Forests but JDH is not optimistic. JDH stays at Kew to please his father & to have access to his herbarium & library. Nathaniel Wallich is very ill, Brown better at present. The Van Diemen's Land [Tasmania] Government have purchased 6 copies of JDH's forthcoming FLORA TASMANIAE & the income is welcome as he made no money from his Antarctic expedition southern floras. JDH describes his recent work on fossil plants, especially Trigonocarpi from coal formations, they resemble Salisburia. JDH outlines his responsibilities regarding scientific societies, he is on the council of the Royal, Linnean & Geographical societies. He has managed to secure a review of the state of the Linnean Society botanical collections. Mentions Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt is dead at Leyden [Leiden].
Contributor:
Hooker Project
Text Online
From:
Ferdinand von Mueller
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
6 June 1854
Source of text:
Gray Herbarium Archives, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
25 Apr [1855]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (1)
Summary:
Is collecting facts on variation; questions AG on the alpine flora of the U. S.
Sends a list of plants from AG’s Manual of botany [1848] and asks him to append the ranges of the species.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
22 May 1855
Source of text:
DAR 106: D1–D2
Summary:
Has filled up CD’s paper [see 1674].
Distribution and relationships of alpine flora in U. S.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
8 June [1855]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (2)
Summary:
Suggests AG append ranges to the species in the new edition of his Manual.
Is interested in comparing the flora of U. S. with that of Britain and wishes to know the proportions to the whole of the great leading families and the numbers of species within genera. Would welcome information on which species AG considers to be "close" in the U. S.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
30 June 1855
Source of text:
DAR 165: 92a
Summary:
Sends a list of "close" species from his Manual of botany.
Hopes Hooker or CD will write an essay on species. Discusses some of the difficulties of defining botanical species.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
21 July [1855]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (3)
Summary:
Geographical distribution. "Close" species. Hopes AG will write an essay on species.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
24 Aug [1855]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (10)
Summary:
"Close" species in large and small genera.
Alphonse de Candolle on geographical distribution [Géographie botanique raisonnée (1855)].
Species variability.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
2 May [1856]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (4)
Summary:
Suggests affinities of the U. S. flora that he considers would be worth investigating. Wants to know the ranges of species in large and small genera.
Questions AG on naturalised plants; whether any are social in U. S. which are not so elsewhere and how variable they are compared with indigenous species. Would like to know of any differences in the variability of species at different points of their ranges and also the physical states of plants at the extremes of their ranges.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
14 July [1856]
Source of text:
Archives of the New York Botanical Garden (Charles Finney Cox Collection)
Summary:
Asks whether Allegheny Mountains are sufficiently continuous so that plants could travel from north to south along them.
Hopes AG’s work on geographical distribution is progressing, as he has questions on plants common to Europe which do not range up to Arctic.
Are intermediate varieties less numerous in individuals than the varieties they connect?
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
[early Aug 1856]
Source of text:
DAR 165: 93
Summary:
Believes intermediate varieties are generally less numerous in individuals than the two states that they connect.
Discusses the difficulties of deciding what is the typical form of a species
and gives some opinions on the variability of introduced species compared with indigenous species.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
24 Aug [1856]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (36)
Summary:
Rarity of intermediate varieties.
Variability of introduced plants.
Ranges of plants common to Europe and U. S.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
23 Sept 1856
Source of text:
DAR 165: 94
Summary:
Plants that are social in the U. S. but are not so in the Old World.
Distribution of U. S. species common to Europe.
Gives Theodor Engelmann’s opinion on the relative variability of indigenous and introduced plants and notes the effects of man’s settlement on the numbers and distribution of indigenous plants.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Charles Robert Darwin
To:
Asa Gray
Date:
12 Oct [1856]
Source of text:
Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (6)
Summary:
Thanks AG for the first part of his "Statistics [of the flora of the northern U. S.", Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 22 (1856): 204–32; 2d ser. 23 (1857): 62–84, 369–403]
and for information on social and varying plants.
Would like to know number of genera of introduced plants in U. S.
Is surprised at some affinities of northern U. S. flora and asks for any climatic explanations.
Asks what proportion of genera common to U. S. and Europe are mundane.
Is glad AG will work out the northern ranges of the European species and the ranges of species with regard to size of genera.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
From:
Asa Gray
To:
Charles Robert Darwin
Date:
4 Nov 1856
Source of text:
DAR 165: 95
Summary:
Outlines the ranges of northern U. S. species common to Europe. Hopes to investigate the resemblances between the floras of the north-eastern U. S. and western Europe. Discusses routes by which alpine plants appear to have reached U. S.
Contributor:
Darwin Correspondence Project
