To J. D. Hooker   31 [May 1864]

Down

31t

My dear Hooker

Could you by an extraordinary good chance give me now a plant of Cardiospermum halicacabum (or any other species if such has tendrils)1   Also, at any time, Commelina Bengalensis (for little imperfect flowers)2 or any American species for extraordinary nectaries3

Ever yours | C. Darwin

By silence I shall understand you cannot.

N.B. you never looked how Nepenthes climbs   If it climbs by tips of leaves, a growing plant wd be a treasure4

Oliver mentioned some Papayal plant with axial Tendrils;5 I just mention for bare possibility of your having spare plant.

Endorsement: ‘May/64’

1
CD’s notes on Cardiospermum halicacabum are in DAR 157.2: 68. For the results of his observations, see ‘Climbing plants’, pp. 87–9, 92.
2
CD referred to Commelina in Forms of flowers, p. 339, as one of several genera with cleistogamic (unopening) flowers in which the young ovaries were buried in the soil. See also ibid., p. 313. A specimen of C. bengalensis was sent to CD in 1878 (see letter from W. T. Thiselton Dyer, 30 December 1878 (Calendar no. 11811)). For CD’s interest in cleistogamic flowers, see letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 April [1864] and n. 10.
3
CD probably refers to the Commelina species in which some anthers have lobes containing nectar (Willis 1973). For CD’s recently expressed interest in orchid nectaries, see letter to Daniel Oliver, 17 February [1864] and n. 10.
5
Daniel Oliver had referred to axial tendrils in Modecca, a genus that Lindley 1853, p. 322, included in the Papayaceae, as did CD in ‘Climbing plants’, p. 92; the genus was often classified as a member of the Passifloraceae (see letter from Daniel Oliver, [before 31 March 1864] and nn. 3, 4, and 8).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 now] interl
1.3 imperfect] interl
1.3 American] interl
4.1 If it … a treasure 4.2] added pencil
5.1 Oliver] after del ‘Ha’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4516,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4516