From Thomas Whitelegge 21 May 1878
58 Hillgate St | Hurst Brook | Ashton-under-lyne
May 21/78
Dear Sir
I thank you sincerely for your two letters, and for the offer in your last.1 On Saturday afternoon I spent about an hour and a half in examining flowers of R. acris to see if I could find any with the Gynoecium aborted but after examining many hundred flowers I failed to find any. I saw a many of the small flowered females and I have planted some in our Botanical Garden.2 On Sunday last I was in the Wye Valley between Buxton and Miller’s Dale. I found some few plants of R. acris with female flowers. I may state that the object of my visit was to examine the Geum rivale (not intermedia as I supposed) to see if I could find any in the same condition as that I sent you.3 I succeeded in finding about 30 flowers with only the stamens developed some of which were on the same flower stalk along with Hermaphrodite flowers, one plant which I have before now, has 5 flowers, 4 of which are Hermaphrodite and one male. As far as my observations have gone the male flowers are not at all common.4 But I am afraid I am tresspassing too much on your time
I Remain Sir | Yours Respectfully | Thomas Whitelegg
P.S. I can forward you the plants if you desire me to do so which I would gladly do.
T.W.
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Desmond, Ray. 1994. Dictionary of British and Irish botanists and horticulturists including plant collectors, flower painters and garden designers. New edition, revised with the assistance of Christine Ellwood. London: Taylor & Francis and the Natural History Museum. Bristol, Pa.: Taylor & Francis.
Forms of flowers: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1877.
Summary
Gynodioecism.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11522
- From
- Thomas Whitelegge
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Source of text
- DAR 181: 93
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11522,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11522.xml