From George Bentham   [16 or 17 December 1857]1

My dear Sir

I return the lists.2 But in questions where Gærtner may have obtained unexpected results in hybridising one would require to know whether he has got the right species under h⁠⟨⁠is⁠⟩⁠ names for the confusion in ⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ genera as Silene is very great in Continental botanic gardens

One often sees Silene nutans italica inflata and a few others doing duty for dozens of tender ones which have died. Silene vespertina is one which we used to grow in our flower gardens ⁠⟨⁠as⁠⟩⁠ S. bipartita. It is a very common Mediterranean seacoast plant. S. noctiflora is a cornfield annual which we have sometimes in England S. viscosa (Cucubalus viscosus Linn) is in the way of Italica but I believe ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ species from the ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ central Asia

Yours very sincerely | George Bentham

The date is based on the assumption that the letter was written after the letter to George Bentham, 15 December [1857], and before the letter to George Bentham, 18 December [1857].
CD had sent a list of Silene species enclosed in the letter to George Bentham, 1 December [1857]. Another list of Cucubalus species taken from Gärtner 1849 was sent in the letter to George Bentham, 15 December [1857]. Bentham added comments to both lists, which are preserved together with this letter.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-2186,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-2186