From Daniel Oliver   20 October 1874

Herbr.

20. X/74

My dear Sir/

The specimens safely back again; Thanks.1

As to Aldrovanda: we have no Indian specimen, but the Indian figure in our coll. drawings as to leaves shews no difference.2

We have a mite of an Australian specn & I have [soaked] off a minute fragment for yr examination.3

Roridula. Of this genus Harvey says simply 2 species, “natives of the Western district” i.e. of Cape Colony—but no detail as to prevalence4

Of Byblis, there are also 2 spp.—

B. liniflora, various Stations in No. Australia & also in Queensland. & B. gigantua. limited to West Australia: Canning river; Swan river region; Port Gregory; Hampden.5

Very sincerely yrs | D Oliver

CD annotations

3.1 We have … examination. 3.2] crossed pencil
1
See letter to Daniel Oliver, 19 October [1874] and n. 2. CD had returned specimens of Byblis (rainbow plants) and Roridula, both of which are insectivorous plants.
3
CD discussed the Australian form Aldrovanda vesiculosa var. australis (the waterwheel plant) in Insectivorous plants, pp. 329–30.
4
Oliver refers to William Henry Harvey and Harvey 1868, p. 18.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9689,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9689