Dear Oliver

You have indeed sent me some interesting specimens. Every part of the base of the flower of Edwardsia seems to secrete a surprising quantity of nectar: I thought from what Treviranus says it did not secrete till stamens or petals were broken off, which would have been a very surprising fact.—² What a very curious stamen you sent me: it would be fine sport to observe the living plant.³ Can it serve as protection to stigma: in a Nierembergia, I saw the stamens formed into a sort cupola over the stigma; but I neglected to get the plant for observation. What singular bracts of the Marcgraviaceæ; if I can make anything of the Pitcher plant, which I do not suppose I shall, then Marcgraviæ would be interesting to observe.—⁴

I will send bottle with monstrous Primrose on Monday or Tuesday,⁵ with the Medallion for Hooker of D^r. Darwin, (please tell him):⁶ I have seen one flower with 4 pistils;⁷ there is one in bottle one specimen with corolla removed. I remember I observed that 9 or 10 bundles of spiral vessels ran up in outer case of ovarium & up pistil, & none ran up the central needle, prolonged up the middle of pistil in growth from the placenta. I concluded at time that the single pistil is really ten pistils.— I had never heard of Caspary, but speculate whether what you say is the placenta, was not an inner whorl of pistils without stigmas.—⁸

With many thanks   Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

I have been looking at anther again, would it not force insects to approach only on one side & so rub against the side of anthers which dehisce?⁹