Asks DO to name enclosed Lythrum received from CD’s sister-in-law [Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood]
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.
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.
Examined Epilobium 20 or 30 years ago at Shrewsbury. In a flash remembered it as dimorphic, but had forgotten its name.
Informs CD of possible dimorphism of Epilobium angustifolium.
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.
The number of "aquatic" flowers is reduced if one considers only those that expand under water.
Lecturing at Norwich.
DO thinks an essay [Alexander Braun’s "Rejuvenescence", Ray Society (1853)] is not worth reading with respect to some difficulty concerning phyllotaxy.
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.
Answers CD’s query on Primula longiflora and P. scotica.
Would like abstract of CD’s paper ["Two forms of Linum", Collected papers 2: 93–105] for Natural History Review.
Observation on morphology of Primula ovarium sent for DO’s use.
Discusses the female parts of the Primula flower; the true character of the free placenta is not completely understood.
Sends some specimens for CD.
Is busy with W. African Amomum, whose floral structure he discusses.
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.
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?
The ovule of Primula is amphitropous or what J. Georg Agardh calls apotropo-amphitropous [see Theoria systematis plantarum (1858), tab. 24, fig. 5–6].
Thanks for information on Primula ovules. From what DO says the pollen-tubes ought to find their way to the micropyle.
Sends F. Hildebrand’s paper for publication by the Linnean Society or in Natural History Review.
Hildebrand’s paper is unsuitable for the Natural History Review.
Gives a reference to a paper.