Ɛpsilon

From Eduard Strasburger1   26 October 1878

Jena

le 26 Octobre | 1878.

Très honoré Monsieur,

je Vous suis très obligé des aimables paroles, que contient votre letter.2 Mr. Sachs m’avait déja apris que vous travaillez sur l’héliotropisme et avec l’eminent talent d’observation que vous possédez, vous arriverez, comme toujours, à d’importants résultats. C’est avec impatience que j’attendrai la publication de votre travail.3

Je me suis permis de vous envoyer aujourd’hui encore ma petite publication sur la Polyembryonie—4 C’est une des choses les plus singulières que j’aie jamais trouvée; car dans la plupart des cas la Polyembryonie des Angiospermes est due, non à la pluralité des oeufs fécondés, mais bien à la formation de Pseudo-Embryons par les cellules de nucelle.5 Ces Pseudo-Embryons ne diffèrent pourtant en rien des vrais Embryons formés par les oeufs.

Veuillez, cher Monsieur, agréer l’assurance de mes plus respectueuse considerations avec laquelle je reste toujours | Votre très dévoué | E. Strasburger

1
For a translation of this letter, see Appendix I.
3
CD had mentioned his own work on heliotropism in his letter to Eduard Strasburger, 4 October 1878; CD’s son Francis Darwin had worked in the laboratory of Julius Sachs at Würzburg, a centre of research in plant physiology, from June until August 1878 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), and letter from Francis Darwin, [4–7 August 1878]).
4
CD’s offprint of ‘Ueber Polyembryonie’ (On polyembryony; Strasburger 1878b) is in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL.
5
The nucellus is the layer of cells in the undeveloped ovule in which the embryo sac develops. Nucellar embryony is the formation of additional embryos from the nucellus (see Strasburger 1878b, pp. 656–7).

From Eduard Strasburger1   26 October 1878

Jena

26 October 1878.

Most honoured Sir,

I am very obliged to you for the kind words that your letter contains.2 Mr Sachs already informed me that you are working on heliotropism and with the great talent of observation that you possess, you will arrive, as always, at important results. It is with impatience that I await the publication of your work.3

Allow me to send you again today my little publication on polyembryony—4 It is one of the most distinctive things that I have found; for in most cases the polyembryony of angiosperms is due, not to the plurality of fertile eggs, but rather to the formation of pseudo-embryos by cells of the nucellus.5 These pseudo-embryos do not differ, however, in any way from true embryos formed by eggs.

Please, dear Sir, accept the assurance of my very respectful esteem with which I remain always | Your very devoted | E. Strasburger

1
For a transcription of this letter in its original French, see Transcript.
3
CD had mentioned his own work on heliotropism in his letter to Eduard Strasburger, 4 October 1878; CD’s son Francis Darwin had worked in the laboratory of Julius Sachs at Würzburg, a centre of research in plant physiology, from June until August 1878 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), and letter from Francis Darwin, [4–7 August 1878]).
4
CD’s offprint of ‘Ueber Polyembryonie’ (On polyembryony; Strasburger 1878b) is in the Darwin Pamphlet Collection–CUL.
5
The nucellus is the layer of cells in the undeveloped ovule in which the embryo sac develops. Nucellar embryony is the formation of additional embryos from the nucellus (see Strasburger 1878b, pp. 656–7).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11728,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11728