From Fritz Müller1 [8 October 1867]2
Itajahy
.... . Hätten Sie je gedacht, dass die Familie der Amarantaceen3 auch auffällige Samen darbieten möchte, welche die Aufmerksamkeit von Vögeln erregen? Nun, dies ist der Fall bei einer kletternden Chamissoa unserer Flora. Die schwarzen Samen sind beinah vollständig von einem weissen Arillus umgeben und bleiben am Grunde der Kapsel angeheftet, deren obere Hälfte abfällt (“utriculus circumscissus”)4 wie bei Anagallis.5 Nach Endlicher’s Beschreibung scheint es, dass in andern Arten jener Gattung der Arillus viel kleiner ist (“arillo brevi albo, umbilicum lateraliter cingente”),6 und so bilden diese Formen ein verbindendes Glied zwischen unserer Art und einer andern Amarantacee (Celosia?), bei der die kleinen, schwarzen und glänzenden Samen überhaupt keinen Arillus haben und, obwohl sie nicht sehr ansehnlich sind, dennoch fest angeheftet auf dem Grunde der Kapsel bleiben, welche nach dem Abfallen ihrer oberen Hälfte einen halbkugeligen Becher bildet. Die Thatsache, dass ansehnliche Samen an den offnen Hüllen festhaften, kommt auch bei Monocotyledonen vor. Ich beobachtete sie bei Hedychium (coronarium?—nicht einheimisch hier)7 und bei einer Marantacee.... .
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Endlicher, Stephan Ladislaus. 1836–42. Genera plantarum secundum ordines naturales disposita. With 4 supplements; in 2 vols. Vienna: Friedrich Beck.
Mabberley, David J. 1997. The plant-book. A portable dictionary of the vascular plants. 2d edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Translation
From Fritz Müller1 [8 October 1867]2
Itajahy
.... . Would you ever have thought that the Amarantaceae3 family could also present conspicuous seeds that attract the attention of birds? Well, this is the case with a climbing Chamissoa in our flora. The black seeds are almost completely surrounded by a white arillus and remain attached to the base of the capsule, the upper half of which falls off (“utriculus circumscissus”)4 as with Anagallis.5 According to Endlicher’s description it seems that in other species of that genus the arillus is much smaller (“arillo brevi albo, umbilicum lateraliter cingente”),6 and so these forms constitute a connecting link between our species and another Amarantaceae (Celosia?), in which the small, black, and shiny seeds have no arillus at all, and although not very sizeable, remain firmly attached to the base of the capsule, which forms a hemispherical cup when its upper half has fallen off. The fact that large seeds stick to the open hull also occurs in monocotyledons. I observed this in a Hedychium (coronarium?—not indigenous here)7 and in a Marantaceae.... .
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Endlicher, Stephan Ladislaus. 1836–42. Genera plantarum secundum ordines naturales disposita. With 4 supplements; in 2 vols. Vienna: Friedrich Beck.
Mabberley, David J. 1997. The plant-book. A portable dictionary of the vascular plants. 2d edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Summary
Has CD ever considered that the colour of seeds of Amarantaceae would attract the attention of birds?
Describes case of a climbing Chamissoa of the local flora.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5620A
- From
- Johann Friedrich Theodor (Fritz) Müller
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Itajahy, Santa Catharina, Brazil
- Source of text
- Möller ed. 1915–21, 2: 132
- Physical description
- inc (German trans)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5620A,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5620A.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15
