From Abraham Clapham 8 March 1850
Scarbro’
8th. March 50
Dear Sir,
My attention has recently been called to the very singular fact that I have obtained evergreen phloxes by impregnating the annual varieties (Drummondii) with the perennial species or seedlings—1 this fact is extremely interesting when we consider that the perennial phloxes not only drop their leaves but also that their woody stems completely die down
I shall try further experiments with the object of obtaining more definite information & remain Dr Sir | Yours very truly | A. Clapham C. Darwin Esqr. I do not wish you to understand that I profess to have raised the first phlox such as I have described for phlox depressor & several Continental varieties appear to have been obtained either by the accidental or intentional intermixture of the two species, but I am not aware that the curious result which I have named has been before observed—the same object has been attained (so far as regards the acquisition of leaves by crossing Rhododendron onto the Azalia
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Notebooks: Charles Darwin’s notebooks, 1836–1844. Geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical enquiries. Transcribed and edited by Paul H. Barrett et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the British Museum (Natural History). 1987.
Summary
Results of crosses in Phlox.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1309
- From
- Abraham Clapham
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Scarborough
- Source of text
- DAR 161: 150
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1309,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1309.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 4