To Hermann Müller1 16 August [1867]2
Down, Bromley, Kent
Aug: 16.
Dear Sir
Ich bin Ihnen für Ihren höchst interessanten Brief sehr verbunden, aber es macht mir Sorge, dass Sie sich so viele Arbeit gemacht haben, mich zu verpflichten. … Sie theilen offenbar Ihres Bruders wundervolle Beobachtungsgabe, sowie seine Fertigkeit, sich englisch auszudrücken und seine Geschicklichkeit im Zeichnen. Ich hoffe, dass Sie Ihre excellente Beschreibung veröffentlichen werden.3 I was made aware by Prof. Asa Gray (either in a paper in the Amer. Journal of Science or in a letter) of my error with respect to Cypripedium.4 By an odd chance I put an Andrena into the labellum, and saw what you describe as naturally taking place.5 Ich kann nicht umhin, ein wenig an der Vergiftung der Bienen zu zweifeln, da es die Ueberführung des Pollens von Pflanze zu Pflanze durchkreuzen würde Bienen sterben, wenn sie stark angestrengt werden, bald an Erschöpfung. Der grosse Robert Brown behauptet indessin, dass der Nektar der Asclepias Bienen vergifte, und das unterstützt Ihre Ansicht.6 Sie erwähnen nicht der wohlangepassten Einwärtskrümmung des Randes der Lippenöffnung, welche die Insekten verhindert, herauszukriechen.7
Ihre Beobachtungen an Epipactis erscheinen mir noch werthvoller. E. viridiflora scheint in demselben Falle wie Cephalanthera zu sein, aber man kann von dem Vorhandensein des Nektars daselbst schliessen, dass Insekten gelegentlich Pollen von Pflanze zu Pflanze führen. Könnten Sie nicht mit Anwendung des Pollens einer verschiedenen Pflanze und andererseits ihres eigenen experimentiren, und den Inhalt der Kapseln vergleichen? I do not doubt that this species is generally self-fertilized; and I am aware that I erred in supposing that this happened to so few species.8 Neottia nidus avis is often self-fertilized.9 Epipactis latifolia I find is always fertilized by wasps (vespa)10 — — — —
Yours very faithfully | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Brown, Robert. 1831b. On the organs and mode of fecundation in Orchideæ and Asclepiadeæ. [Read 1 and 15 November 1831.] Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 16 (1833): 685–745.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Gray, Asa. 1862a. [Review of Orchids.] American Journal of Science and Arts 2d ser. 34: 138–44, 420–9.
Krause, Ernst. 1884. Hermann Müller von Lippstadt: ein Gedenkblatt. Lippstadt: P. Rempel’s Buchhandlung (E. Hegener).
Möller, Alfred, ed. 1915–21. Fritz Müller. Werke, Briefe und Leben. 3 vols in 5. Jena: Gustav Fischer.
Müller, Hermann. 1868. Beobachtungen an westfälischen Orchideen. Verhandlungen des naturhistorischen Vereines der preussischen Rheinlande und Westphalens (Botanik) 25: 1–62.
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.
Translation
To Hermann Müller1 16 August [1867]2
Down, Bromley, Kent
Aug: 16.
Dear Sir
I am very grateful to you for your most interesting letter, but I worry that you have given yourself so much work in order to oblige me. … You obviously share your brother’s wonderful powers of observation, as well as his proficiency in expressing himself in English and his skill in drawing. I hope that you will publish your excellent description.3 I was made aware by Prof. Asa Gray (either in a paper in the Amer. Journal of Science or in a letter) of my error with respect to Cypripedium.4 By an odd chance I put an Andrena into the labellum, and saw what you describe as naturally taking place.5 I cannot help but doubt a little the poisoning of bees, since bees would die from crossing from flower to flower to transfer pollen, if they were overtaxed to the point of exhaustion. The great Robert Brown maintains, however, that the nectar of Asclepias poisons bees, and this supports your view.6 You do not mention the well adapted inward curvature of the edge of the opening into the labellum, which prevents insects from entering.7
Your observations on Epipactis seem to me even more valuable. E. viridiflora seems to be a similar case to Cephalanthera, but it is apparent from the presence of nectar there, that insects occasionally carry pollen from plant to plant. Could you not try an experiment with the application of pollen of a different plant and of its own, and compare the contents of the capsules? I do not doubt that this species is generally self-fertilised; and I am aware that I erred in supposing that this happened to so few species.8 Neottia nidus avis is often self-fertilised.9 Epipactis latifolia I find is always fertilised by wasps (vespa)10 — — — —
Yours very faithfully | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Brown, Robert. 1831b. On the organs and mode of fecundation in Orchideæ and Asclepiadeæ. [Read 1 and 15 November 1831.] Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 16 (1833): 685–745.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Gray, Asa. 1862a. [Review of Orchids.] American Journal of Science and Arts 2d ser. 34: 138–44, 420–9.
Krause, Ernst. 1884. Hermann Müller von Lippstadt: ein Gedenkblatt. Lippstadt: P. Rempel’s Buchhandlung (E. Hegener).
Möller, Alfred, ed. 1915–21. Fritz Müller. Werke, Briefe und Leben. 3 vols in 5. Jena: Gustav Fischer.
Müller, Hermann. 1868. Beobachtungen an westfälischen Orchideen. Verhandlungen des naturhistorischen Vereines der preussischen Rheinlande und Westphalens (Botanik) 25: 1–62.
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.
Summary
Made aware by Asa Gray of error with respect to Cypripedium. Does not doubt it is self-fertilised.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5608
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Heinrich Ludwig Hermann (Hermann) Müller
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 146: 429; Krause 1884, p. 17
- Physical description
- C 1p inc
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5608,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5608.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15