To Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller 8 December [1857]1
Down Bromley Kent
December 8th
Dear Sir
Sir William & Dr. Hooker have told me that I might use their names as an introduction to you.2 I do not know whether my name is known to you; but I have so often heard of interesting Botanical facts of your discovery, from Dr. Hooker, that I feel as if I had been introduced to you. I am very anxious for a piece of information which possibly you may be able to give me. It is whether very many British or north-European, perennial plants can withstand, living & seeding, under the climate of S. Australia.—3 I presuppose that the plants are kept in a well-weeded garden, free from the intrusion of the native vegetation. They might be supposed to be watered in very dry weather; my point being whether they could withstand the heat, & perfect their seeds. I presume all S. European plants could succeed well; but I want to know whether the greater number of British or still more north-ranging plants could survive & seed.— If you could answer me this question even approximately, & would take the trouble to write to me, I shd. be very much obliged.— I believe there a good many British naturalised plants in S. Australia; (Have you ever enumerated them?) & this of course answers my question most fully as far as they are concerned, even under conditions not the most favourable, as they have to struggle with the native vegetation.—
With apologies for troubling you, & with much respect, I beg leave to remain, Dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Natural selection: Charles Darwin’s Natural selection: being the second part of his big species book written from 1856 to 1858. Edited by R. C. Stauffer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1975.
Summary
Asks whether British or north European perennial plants can, under cultivation, withstand the climate of S. Australia.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2378
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich (Ferdinand) von Mueller
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 92: A31–2
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2378,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2378.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 6