Darwin Correspondence Project

Herbarium of Harvard University, Botanic Garden, Cambridge, Mass.

Feb. 3 1880.

My Dear Darwin

Your letter of the 19th ult, made me open my eyes. I am just off on a little journey, and have only a moment to say that Mr. $Watson$, Prof. $Goodate$, my artist who drew the figures & others can make affidavit to the facts. Two or three plants—on one, I think fully 2 inches of the seeming radicle was out of ground. There are 3 or 4 species. The second lot I sent you was probably different from the first, or of 2 species.

If your plants were weak, even of the same species, it might account for their not lifting the weight of the seed.

About nomenclature, following the current nomenclature I called the hypocotyledons internode radicle—properly caudicle.

Please call all below it root, so as to avoid confusion, ``Perennial'' I should think so! The root is said to be sometimes of the size of a barrel. Those I have seen in California were from the size of a carrot to that of the biggest rata-baga.; the tip near the surface of the ground,—but under it, where there was no wash, In haste | Ever Yours | Asa Gray