My dear Professor Dyer

I am sure you will excuse me writing to you, tho’ I fear it will save Hooker¹ but little trouble. I shall soon go on with my observations on the movements of leaves when syringed, & I very much want some seeds and a few plants.² Will you consult Hooker whether he can aid me with respect to the enclosed list.³ The names are all from Linnæus on the Sleep of Plants in the Amœn: Acad:⁴ & I cannot find out what many of them mean. I have selected plants which go to sleep in different ways & which from various causes I think will be worth observing. I must mention as showing what little use the published list of plants on sale by Mess^rs Rollinson is, that all the plants mentioned at the close of my list, are in his list, and yet he could not supply me with a single one!!!⁵

I will ask one other little favour, if you see or remember in the course of the summer any plant of which the stamens or pistil are sensitive to a touch, please to make a note for me, as I should like to try a few others besides Berberis, Helianthemum & Mimulus, by syringing. Is not the column or some part of Stapelia sensitive; but as these plants are probably rare, perhaps you would be so kind as to try dropping water on or syringing the sensitive part?⁶

Hooker said he wd try to get me another plant of Drosophyllum, has he succeeded?⁷

All the plants belonging to Kew which I have here are looking excellently, except Acacia Farnesiana, which sometimes looks well & sometimes badly without any apparent cause.⁸

Pray forgive me for being so troublesome, but I thought it best to give you & Hooker one heavy dose instead of repeating them

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

From what I hear about the actinic rays of the Sun (but I shall soon have precise information) I do not suppose that I shall experimentise on the Kew plants till June or July.—⁹