To J. D. Hooker 9 October 1874
Down
Oct 9th 1874
My dear Hooker
In your Edit of Decaisne, Byblis from Australia & Roridula from S. Africa are given under the Dros: & Lindley adds Sondera of Lehm.1 As I have examined 4 genera, I should very much like to see a leaf of any or all of these genera. But I do not know what I am asking, for these plants may be excessively rare; but if you can spare a leaf (especially one with the hairs or tentacles incurved) I could soak it, gum it on paper & return it. I suppose you could get one of yr assistants to look at the plants & settle whether a leaf could be spared. By the way in Descaisne I see “Morocco” added to the range of Drosophyllum, & “Bengal” to Aldrovanda; I presume that the square brackets mean that you have added these localities.2
Will you ask Oliver3 to do me a great favour; viz: to consider whether there is any anomalous sp of Utricularia, especially an epiphytic or marsh sp, & send me if possible an atom of a rhizome or branch, that I might soak it & look at the bladders.4 I have studied so carefully those which I possess, that I desire much to see how far their structure ever differs. No doubt Oliver can tell me whether other sp, besides U. montana, have tubers on the rhizomes.—5
I am keeping the 3 buds of Aldrovanda under 3 different temperatures, & they are all looking pretty well, so that I have hopes of the leaves opening.6 I am afraid this letter will bother you. Yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Insectivorous plants. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875.
Lindley, John. 1853. The vegetable kingdom; or, the structure, classification, and uses of plants, illustrated upon the natural system. 3d edition with corrections and additional genera. London: Bradbury & Evans.
Roxburgh, William. 1832. Flora Indica; or descriptions of Indian plants. 3 vols. Serampore: W. Thacker and Co., Calcutta. Parbury, Allen and Co., London.
Summary
Asks JDH for leaves of Byblis and Roridula to examine, and D. Oliver for an anomalous species of Utricularia.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9670
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 95: 341a
- Physical description
- LS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9670,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9670.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 22