Glasgow,
July 7.
My dear Sir
I enclose for you a bit of Sisymbrium canescens, the best I have which is not fastened down in my Herbarium. Your probably plant not being canescent, it may prove Sis. brachycarpum. Of this all I have is glued on paper in my Herbm. I can only therefore strike off morsels which may perhaps enable you to judge if yours be the same. I enclose also morsels of the only Spergularia-tribe of Arenaria which I have from Texas. Pray let me know your opinion upon them when you have compared them. I have noted in my copy of British Flora 1 your remarks on Silene maritima & inflata & on Silene nutens.
Surely Lepigonum alludes to the scales or stipules of at the geniculations. Is not Spergulopsis exceptionable as combining 2 words, the one latin the other greek. Spergularia is certainly not a correct general name, but it is the first that was applied to this group of Arenarias & seems to be very generally adopted: – for example by Bartling, 2 Lindley 3, Presl 4 & Auguste St Hilaire in Flora Brasiliæ Meridionalis 5 vol. p 175., where the Genus is fully characterized & remarks made upon it. Spergula arvensis is there referred to it, probably not correctly.
Gardener’s Mosses 6 are beautifully done upon a an [sic] 8vo book bound like a pocket-book. Every other leaf has a page ruled off into compartments, suited to the size of the species, according to the arrangement in British Flora & the names printed in lithography. The price is according to the number of species, each species being reckoned at 3d. Only one of the fullest copies now remains unsold & this I reserved for anyone that I thought would prefer it to the less complete one. It has 228 species. The others will not exceed 200, &, of them, there are now only 6. – In either case the possessor can go on filling the empty spaces himself from time to time. I am sure you will be pleased with the little book if you care to see it. Gardener himself has I hope by this time reached Brazil.
I am exceedingly obliged to Mr Strangways 7 for his generous offer of forwarding little botanical parcels to Italy etc. This is of great advantage to science & to one like myself saddled with a very large correspondence.
Faithfully Yours
W. J. Hooker
H. F. Talbot Esqre
31. Sackville Street.
Will you be so good as to send the enclosed to Hunneman 8 pr 2dy 9 Post.
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