Ɛpsilon

From Leyson Lewis   [before 6 August 1874]1

I inclose a specimen of the male Hop with apparently female flowers at the tips of the branches, on the chance of its having some interest for the naturalist.2 I observed it this morning, and though accustomed to walk Hop grounds for years I have never seen the two sexes on the same Hop plant before.3 Perhaps, however, it is but the growth of the flower into a male catkin.

There are other male plants in the same ground, but I have not seen any other instance of this peculiarity. The whole Hop hill grows in the same way. If we obtain seed, might not it be possible to select a strain of Hops which are uniformly monœcious on the same plant?4

The Hop ground is in Boughton Monchelsea, facing south, very warm, and of strong rich soil.

L. Lewis, East Farleigh. 5

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter to M. T. Masters, 6 August 1874. Maxwell Tylden Masters’s letter is a reply to a letter from CD that has not been found, but that evidently had as an enclosure the original of this letter from Lewis, which is reproduced from the published version.
2
The common hop (Humulus lupulus) is dioecious (male and female flowers develop on different plants), although monoecious individuals (with male and female flowers on the same plant) appear occasionally.
3
Lewis was a fruit and hop grower (Post Office directory of the six home counties).
4
Only the female flowers of Humulus lupulus (hops) are used in making beer.
5
Boughton Monchelsea is close to East Farleigh in Kent.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9589F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9589F