From J. D. Hooker   [17 May 1862]1

Royal Gardens Kew | Kew

Saturday

My dear Darwin

I have been at the red Leschenaultia this morning.2 Not the same species as last year. I find no stigmatic surface whatever in the indusium—but as before a hard dense very unstigmatic tissue under the glandular surface. No pollen tubes any-where. A very stigmatic tissue underlies a pulvinus within the indusium at b but it is covered perfectly with cuticle.3

diagram

4

Best paper for drying plants can be got at Pamplin 45 Frith Street Soho London.5

Ask Ross for the simple microscope price £4"4 which Dr Hooker orders. his address is Featherstone buildings Holborn6

Bentham & Oliver are quite struck up in a heap with your book & delighted beyond expression7

incomplete

CD annotations

4.1 Bentham … expression 4.2] crossed pencil
Top of first page: ‘Red Leschenaultia not formosa’8 pencil; ‘West Strand Eye glass’ pencil, del pencil; ‘Address for Paper’ pencil, del pencil
Diagram: ‘A Red Leschenaultia not formosa.’ pencil
1
Dated by the relationship to other correspondence with Hooker concerning Leschenaultia (see n. 2, below) and by reference to the publication of Orchids (see n. 7, below); 17 May 1862 fell on a Saturday.
2
See letters to J. D. Hooker, 1 May [1862], 9 May [1862], and 15 [May 1862], and letters from J. D. Hooker, [5 May 1862] and [16 May 1862].
4
The diagram has been reduced to 65% of its original size.
5
See letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 [May 1862]. Hooker refers to the botanical bookseller William Pamplin (Post Office London directory 1861).
6
The reference is to the London optician and instrument-maker Thomas Ross (see letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 [May 1862] and n. 5).
7
CD sent presentation copies of Orchids to George Bentham and Daniel Oliver (see letter from Daniel Oliver, 14 May 1862, and letter from George Bentham, 15 May 1862, and Correspondence vol. 10, Appendix IV).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-3527,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-3527