To J. D. Hooker   6 [November 1861]

Down

6th.

My dear Hooker

There is something very odd in Rostellum of Masdevallia: the only structure I have met with at all like your wonderful Listera case—1 I cannot, however, see any explosion.— If you have plenty of flowers & are sending anything else I shd like to see a few more; especially a rather earlier flower.

I shd doubt whether there was such a shut-up flower in world; all sepals grown together except the 2 little windows for proboscis.—2

Ever yours | C. Darwin

Endorsement: ‘Nov/61.’

1
Hooker 1854b. In Orchids, pp. 142–6, CD described how the rostellum of Listera ovata, upon being touched, instantly expels a viscid fluid that serves to attach pollen-masses to visiting insects.
2
In Orchids, CD called Masdevallia fenestrata (a synonym of Zootrophion atropurpureum) an ‘extraordinary flower’ and stated that he did not understand how insects could effect its fertilisation (Orchids, pp. 168, 169): The whole structure of the flower seemed carefully intended to prevent the withdrawal of the pollinia, as well as their subsequent insertion into the stigmatic chamber! Some new and curious contrivance has here to be made out.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 at all] after del ‘lik’
2.1 sepals] interl
3.1 C. Darwin] above del illeg

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-3309,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-3309