Letter and/or further information available at http://jdh.aetopia.net/p/jdh?q=jhc513.
Please cite as “JHC513,” in Ɛpsilon: The Joseph Dalton Hooker Collection accessed on 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/hooker/letters/JHC513
JDH informs Sir William Thiselton-Dyer of his thoughts on what he believes would be a spurious division of Cypripedia based on the character of coriaceous leaves in some Indian Cypripedia as opposed to membranous leaved species. This is a difficult distinction to make, & further if it was applied as a generic characteristic more widely, many other genera of Orchideae would be split. JDH points out that that a distinction could be made between the evergreen varieties within oaks & beeches but this has never been properly adopted. JDH wonders whether the name [for the Indian Cypripedia?] had even ben published when he was working on orchids; between 1882 & 1886. JDH is keen to know more about the antherozoids in Cycas & Thuja. References to various publications have been added to the end of the letter in a hand not that of JDH but appearing contemporary to the letter: PAPHIOPEDILUM by [Ernst Hugo Heinrich] Pfitzer, MORPHOLOGISCHE STUDIEN UBER DIE ORCHIDEENBLUTE, and BOTANISCHE JAHRBUCHER FUR SYSTEMATIK, PFLANZENGESCHICHTE UND PLANZENGEOGRAPHIE XIX.
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