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Darwin Correspondence Project

From Asa Gray   6 February 1877

Cambridge

Feb. 6, 1877

Dear Darwin

Specimens in herb. glued down had to detach & present satisfactorily. And I have lately culled out & sent away superfluous sheets from herb. in Polemoniaceæ   But I send you a little of Gilia pulchella = aggregata.1 Under some of its names seeds are to be had. Get & raise various lots.

It is because Phlox subulata2 is a common plant that I can’t help you. much   Common plants always get sparingly into herbaria. But I can fish up some flowers & buds for you.

Note that long stamens do not go with short style & vice versa.—

A hasty line—being post-day.

You have not sent me title page & preface to Orchid-book. Rest of sheets complete.3

In haste | Ever Yours | Asa Gray

Dont hesitate to ask every thing of me, tho, you get little.

CD annotations

1.1 Specimens … lots. 1.4] crossed pencil
3.1 Note … versa.— ] scored pencil and red crayon

Footnotes

Gilia aggregata is a synonym of Ipomopsis aggregata (scarlet gilia), a species in the phlox family (Polemoniaceae; see letter to Asa Gray, 23 January 1877 and n. 3). See also Forms of flowers, pp. 118–19.
On CD’s interest in Phlox subulata (moss phlox), see the letter to Asa Gray, 23 January 1877 and n. 2.
Gray had requested proof-sheets of Orchids 2d ed. in order to write a notice of the book (see Correspondence vol. 24, letter from Asa Gray, 12 November 1876).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Forms of flowers: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1877.

Orchids 2d ed.: The various contrivances by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. London: John Murray. 1877.

Summary

Sends specimen of Gilia aggregata and will try to get Phlox subulata.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-10830
From
Asa Gray
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Cambridge Mass.
Source of text
DAR 165: 193
Physical description
ALS 2pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10830,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10830.xml

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