To G. H. K. Thwaites 29 December [1862]
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Dec. 29th
My dear Mr Thwaites
Can you give me any cases of what some gardeners call “Sports”, but what I shall call “bud-variations”, ie when a leaf-bud assumes suddenly a new character—like moss-rose on Provence &c.— I shd be very grateful for any authentic cases.—1 Why I more particularly ask you, is that Sir R. Schomburghk says that at St Domingo, introduced flowers from the warmer temperate regions were there particularly apt to sport in this manner.2
I wrote some time ago to you about Cinchona being dimorphic like Primula;3 I have now better reason to believe that this is the case, & I I have proof that some of these dimorphic plants are absolutely sterile with their own-form pollen.—4
You mentioned two Ceylon genera (I have your note but names forgotten; one was allied to Menyanthes)5 Would you have kindness to examine them & see that both forms produce pollen & if you will, compare size of pollen. Or if you prefer could you send me the two forms of these genera in a letter, well dried, but not much pressed & named & then I could compare by soaking the pollen. The flowers shd not be old.6
I believe that you will forgive me for troubling you, & I remain | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
I am hard at work at a book on “Variation under Domestication”.7
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Asks for any authentic cases of "sports", which CD calls "bud-variations". Flowers introduced from warmer temperate regions are said to be particularly apt to sport in this way.
CD now has proof that Cinchona is dimorphic and that some dimorphic plants are absolutely sterile with their own-form pollen.
Asks GHKT to examine or send pollen specimens of two Ceylon genera.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3880
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- George Henry Kendrick Thwaites
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3880,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3880.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10