To Daniel Oliver 29 [July 1862]1
Down Bromley Kent
29th
Dear Oliver
Thanks for Orchids.—2 I liked to see the strange labellum of the Catasetum new to me.—3 Cycnoches is considerably different; there is a truly wretched sketch of the genus at the back of my orchid Book.—4 Do not take any more trouble about it: I only thought that as I had carefully examined C. ventricosum, I shd. like to see its male.—5
Yours very truly | C. Darwin
I care more for Dimorphism now than orchids, & I think it is a more important subject. To day I have been looking at Lythrum & have seen the three forms;—ie long-styled—mid-styled & short-styled:6 as each form has two sets of anthers, 18 different crosses are practicable within the limits of this one species!! As I ought to cross 10 of each, this would make 180 fertilisations & markings & counting of seeds. A nice job, Heaven knows whether my patience will last; but I shd. like to make out this wonderfully complex case—
I enclose stamps not to cheat Kew.—7
Footnotes
Bibliography
Orchids 2d ed.: The various contrivances by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. London: John Murray. 1877.
Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.
‘Three forms of Lythrum salicaria’: On the sexual relations of the three forms of Lythrum salicaria. By Charles Darwin. [Read 16 June 1864.] Journal of the Linnean Society (Botany) 8 (1865): 169–96. [Collected papers 2: 106–31.]
Summary
Cares more for dimorphism now than for orchids. Today saw the three forms of Lythrum, which means there should be 18 different practicable crosses.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3702
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Daniel Oliver
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 261.10: 55 (EH 88206038)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3702,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3702.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10