Ɛpsilon

To M. T. Masters   [6–12 December 1877]1

The enclosed branch of Cotyledon (Echeveria stolonifera) was cut from a plant growing in my greenhouse, and was suspended on August 10 in my study, which is a dry room, and in which a fire burns most of the year.2 It has sent out two fine flowering stems which, from the position in which the branch was hung, have bent upwards (as may be seen in the figure).3 They have now (December 6) begun to flower. You will see that the plant has sent out a number of small roots. I may add that the specimen weighed on September 1 45.46 grammes, on December 6 36.94 grammes, so that its growth has continued in spite of a considerable loss from evaporation.

Charles Darwin, Down, Beckenham.

incomplete

1
The date range is established by the content of the letter and by the relationship between this letter and the letter from M. T. Masters, [13 December 1877].
2
When Masters published this part of CD’s letter in his article ‘Growth under difficulties’ (Gardeners’ Chronicle, 29 December 1877, pp. 805–6), he added the species name of the specimen in the text of the letter (ibid., p. 805). CD had evidently asked for the specimen to be identified (see letters from M. T. Masters, [before 13 December 1877] and [13 December 1877]). Cotyledon is a genus in the family Crassulaceae; Echeveria was considered to be a subgenus. Echeveria stolonifera is the name CD used when referring to this species in Movement in plants, p. 237.
3
The illustration appeared in Gardeners’ Chronicle, 29 December 1877, p. 807, and was made from the specimen that CD sent to Masters. The words ‘(as may be seen in the figure)’ were added by Masters; square brackets were used in Gardeners’ Chronicle.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11294,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11294