From Edward Bradford   31 July 1863

Dear Sir.

The interest which I had ⁠⟨⁠derived⁠⟩⁠ from your recent work on the ferti⁠⟨⁠l⁠⟩⁠isation of Orchids¹ will I hope excuse my intrusion on your notice.

Some years since while stationed in Trinidad I gave much attention to plants of this family of which I collected and I may say domesticated about 80 species—²

One of the most common of these is the plant which is called Catasetum tridentatum— This I learn from your work you have been led to conclude is a male plant only—³

Now I am very confident that I never met with any flower having the forms called Monachanthus or Myanthus in the island   But recollecting that in my collection there was a dried specimen of what I considered a ripe fruit of Catasetum tridentatum I wrote to my friend D^r. Ha⁠⟨⁠n⁠⟩⁠ce of the British Consulate in China ⁠⟨⁠into⁠⟩⁠ whose ⁠⟨⁠hands they⁠⟩⁠ had passed, and he has ⁠⟨⁠sent the⁠⟩⁠ enclosed sketch of it. You may perhaps think it worth your notice—⁴

I must admit that I did not see the flower of this specimen but seen in its dried state it seems to me to shew enough of the withered antennæ to prove it to be a fertile Catasetum.

I submitted about 2 years since to the Linnean Soc^y. a paper descriptive of a large number of West Indian orchids   I was unfortunately unable sufficiently to revise it to fit it for publication—⁵

Had I when collecting possessed the light which your researches have cast on the subject, it might have been otherwise—

I remain Dear Sir | Very faithfully Yours | Edward Bradford.

31 July 1863.

Charles Darwin Esqr. F.R.S | &c &c &c