WCP2906

Letter (WCP2906.2796)

[1]1

Columbo, Ceylon

13th. July 1908

Dear Sir

I am sorry to hear that the Chirita2 seeds did not germinate, & I fear that it will not be possible to get them to grow in England — a loss to all lovers of handsome flowers —.

I wrote to a friend of mine who lives in the hill country [2] to procure for me some such of Osbekia3 [sic] which will I think succeed. — On my return to my home in the Uva4 country I will try to secure some of Sonerila5 seed, but they are difficult to get except at certain seasons when very possibly I can not be there as my work at present is all in the low country of Ceylon.

[3]6 I send you by this post a little tin full of the seeds of Loxococcus rupicola6 that is one of our sub-alpine palms. — You might possibly [have] said to have tried so I venture to offer them, meantime I shall not forget Melastomaceae7 for you. — I might add that by the same post I am sending some seeds of this same [4] Palm to Professor Harting8 to see if they will grow in Ireland. —

Believe me | Yours very truly | Frederick Lewis [signature]

To Dr. A. R. Wallace

Broadstone

Wimborne

1
"Ans[were]d." in ink in top RH corner.
2
Genus of flowering plants of the family Gesneriaceae, native to Indo-Malaysia, S.E Asia and S. China.
3
Osbeckia is a genus of flowering plants of the family Melastomataceae, native to E. Asia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Australasia.
4
Province of S.E. Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
5

Genus of flowering plants of the family Melastomataceae native to tropical Asia, including 22 endemic species in Sri Lanka (Ceylon).

6.

6
Underlined in blue pencil. Species of palm tree endemic to Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
7
Flowering plant family found mainly in the tropics.
8
Not identified. Possibly Harting, James Edmund Fotheringham (1841-1928) English ornithologist and naturalist. No reference found to living in Ireland.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2906.2796)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by O'Dell, Sandra [2015-03-12] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2015-03-12] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10]

Please cite as “WCP2906,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 2 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2906