From Daniel Oliver [15–16 October 1860]1
From ‘Botanische Zeitung’ (Regensburg) 1833. p. 96 Notice of Prof. Burnett on irritable plants & the insects wh. they secure.2
“Ich habe einen Versuch mit 2 Exemplaren der Dionæa muscipula gemacht, und zu dem Ende 2 von beinahe gleicher Grösse & Gesundheit gewählt. Die eine davon bekam weder Würmer noch Fliegen u.s.w., während die andere täglich mit kleinen Ueberbleibseln von Thieren gefüttert wurde: das Ergebniss dieser Versuchs war, dass die erste pflanze, bei ihrer strengen Diät, allmählig hinwelkte, die andere aber, bei ihrer Fleischkost(?) sich vortrefflich befand.”—
Nuttal, in Gena. No. American Plants, p. 277, (note)— “This sensibility is said to reside principally in the 4 capillary processes situated upon the disk of the lamina. While engaged in collecting this plant in its singularly insulated situation near Wilmington, in North Carolina, I had occasion to observe that a detached leaf would make repeated efforts towards disclosing itself to the influence of the Sun, these attempts consisted in an undulating motion of the marginal ciliæ, accompanied by a partial opening & succeeding collapse of the lamina, which at length terminated in a complete expansion & in the destruction of sensibility.”—3
Note fr. Drummond. Swan River Boty. Kew Jl. Boty. v. 345.4
Speakg. of a sp. of Elatine.— “I have ascertained that in the minute submerged concealed flowers, the anthers burst internally, & the seeds arrive at maturity in a much shorter time than they require when the inflorescence is exposed to the air.” x x x x x x
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Drummond, James. 1853. Extracts from various letters from Mr James Drummond, relating to the botany of Swan River. Hooker’s Journal of Botany and Kew Gardens Miscellany 5: 312–5, 344-7, 398–406.
Nuttall, Thomas. 1818. The genera of North American plants and a catalogue of the species to the year 1817. 2 vols. Philadelphia.
Summary
Extracts from botanical literature dealing with Dionaea, intercrossing, and sensitivity. [Bot. Ztg. (1833): 96; Thomas Nuttall, Genera of N. American plants (1818)].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2623
- From
- Daniel Oliver
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 58.2: 53
- Physical description
- Amem 2pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2623,” accessed on 10 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2623.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 8