From H. C. Watson 11 July [1855]
Thames Ditton
11 July
My dear Sir
Your list of Azore plants is re-enclosed.1 You will see by the Explanations on page 9 how far I have departed from your express direction. 2
Probably all the species which are indicated in Britain or Europe do occur in the Spanish peninsula; altho’ the want of full lists for it may leave several uncertain at present. I should guess that far the greater number of these had been carried to the Azore Isles by human agency. They are either annual weeds of the gardens & cultivated fields,—roadside plants,—or those used for some economic purpose. It seemed easier to write a list of the European species least likely to have been so introduced.3
Besides the Spanish peninsula or other part of Europe, the proximity of Madeira may render transit thence to Azore sufficiently probable.—
Sincerely Yours | Hewett Cl. Watson To | C. Darwin | Esq
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Munby, Giles. 1847. Flore d’Algèrie: ou catalogue des plantes indigènes du royaume d’Alger: accompagné des descriptions de quelques espèces nouvelles ou peu connues. Paris: J.B. Baillière.
Watson, Hewett Cottrell. 1843. The geographical distribution of British plants. 3d edition. Pt 1 (no more published). London: Printed for the author.
Summary
Returns CD’s list of Azores plants with information on the distribution of the species added. Encloses a list, extracted from CD’s list, of those plants common to Europe and the Azores that were probably not introduced by man.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1715
- From
- Hewett Cottrell Watson
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Thames Ditton
- Source of text
- DAR 181: 27
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp †, list 2pp †, CD list 10pp †† (by HCW)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1715,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1715.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 5