To Francis Darwin 18 June [1878]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.
June 18th
My dear Frank
You will see by enclosed that there is poor chance of getting Ciesiskis: could you borrow it from Sachs & read it, & see whether anything concerns us, & under what circumstances the radicles bent from water?2
I have now done a good many leaves & shall do only 4 or 5 more, for all circumnutate in a plain manner, & closely like cotyledons.— I have also been observing the movements of some cotyledons & it is clear that sleep movement is nothing but exaggerated circumnutation.3
I have got an odd little fact with Oxalis: the cotyledons of O. Valdiviana rise vertically up late in evening, whilst those of O. rosea & floribunda sink vertically down. There is something very odd about the hypocotyl of O. rosea; if tied with a thread to a pin or very thin stick, or if tied to nothing, it makes both cotyledons to sink downwards in a marked manner, but I must experimentise more about this odd transmitted sensitiveness.4
Radicles have been going very badly, neither decidedly negative nor positive; & this is an odious state of things.5
I hope in a fortnight to have done with spontaneous movements, & then must begin on light.—6 This work, with no writing, I find very wholesome, but very tiring.
Bernard7 lately has had many servile admirers & he is as charming as charming can be.—
Your affect Father | C. Darwin
Could you easily go at night into Botanic garden green House or Hot House & look out for sleepers?8
Footnotes
Bibliography
Ciesielski, Theophil. 1871. Untersuchungen über die Abwärtskrümmung der Wurzel. Inaugural-Dissertation welche mit Genehmigung philosophischen Facultät der königl. Universität zu Breslau zur Erlangung der Doctorwürde. Breslau: R. Nischkowsky.
Insectivorous plants. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875.
Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
Summary
Has been observing the movements of leaves and cotyledons; sleep movements are exaggerated circumnutation. Reports some odd observations on movement in Oxalis species.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11559
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Francis Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 211: 27
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11559,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11559.xml