Darwin Correspondence Project

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S. E.

Oct. 30th.

My dear Sir

The case of the Habenaria is very interesting as shewing how distant plants may be crossed; & I wish I had known of it before drawing up the notes of which I send a copy by this post.

The Lychnis-case well deserves investigation; but I doubt whether the bi-sexual condition can be the result of crossing (tho' this wd please me much;) for Gärtner crossed the two sp. repeatedly, & cd hardly have failed to have observed in the hybrids a tendency to hermaphroditism.

If the smaller grains of pollen are of equal size & really sound, I shd suspect a reversion to a dimorphic condition, like that of Primula. I have long had reason to suspect that some dioicous plants originate from the suppression of the reversed sexes in the 2 forms of dimorphic plants. The enclosed diagram, which is little better than a hieroglyphic, will perhaps explain what I mean.

Your hermaphrodite plants ought all to be transplanted into a garden, carefully observed, the small-grained pollen experimented on, with insects, of course, carefully excluded.

This is what I shd do if I had the plants, & I think that you wd find it worth while to observe them with care—

Pray believe me | My dear Sir | yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin