From W. T. Thiselton-Dyer   16 July 1877

Dear M^r Darwin

I enclose seeds of all the species of Lotus I can lay hands upon. L. ornithopodiodes is amongst them.¹ I am afraid I cannot guarantee accuracy in nomenclature or capability of germinating.

All our seeds of Neptunia failed to germinate. This is a testimony to your horticultural skill. I shall write to Australia for a fresh supply of seed.

Mimosa sensitiva we do not possess. a plant sent us from America under that name turned out to be M. albida and this I think you have.²

Strephium floribundum will go to you tomorrow. Passiflora gracilis I am afraid I can’t manage but will make further enquiries.³

Malva peruviana we have not but I will write to Decaisne at Paris to see if he can supply it.⁴ Nor have we Averrhoa Carambola. I am sending however, Averrhoa Bilimbi which may be worth looking at. though I am afraid the leaves are not irritable   Hæmatoxylon Campechianum will go to you— I have only sent a small plant. As no doubt you know, it is the Logwood tree.⁵

I am sending you Senecio (Kleinia) ficoides, Cape of Good Hope; Cotyledon bracteosum, Mexico; and C. pulverulenta, California which I hope will have their bloom intact on arrival.⁶ You may sacrifice them if need be but we sh^d. be glad to have the plants back otherwise, especially the C. pulverulenta. Leaves of course may be freely removed.

I am sending you also a small [clump] of Nelumbium⁷ which sh^d. be kept growing in a tub of water in your warmest corner. The leaves have such a remarkable power of resisting wetting and look almost metallic in consequence when immersed. This may be thrown away when done with as also some Pistia Stratiotes⁸ which simply floats in water in a stove and is equally averse to wetting.

The habit of the Nelumbium to resist wetting is singular because it is no distant ally of Sarracenia and a morphological comparison has been instituted between the saucer like leaves of the one and the urn-shaped leaves of the other.⁹

The notion was that the upper surface in Sarracenia was only more depressed than in Nelumbium

You see I cannot give heed to your admonition not to write letters. But assisting you is a relief in the general monotony of routine. I am delighted to send you anything you want and would transfer the whole establishment to Down if it lay in my power and you thought it w^d. help you

Yours very sincerely | W. T. Thiselton Dyer