To A. G. More 2 June [1861]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
June 2d
My dear Sir
I think you told me you had Aceras;2 I see in Babington, it flowers in June.3 Would you have the great kindness to send me a few specimens? About the 10th or shortly afterwards I go for my daughters sake to Torquay; If you can send me Aceras, & if it be not now in flower, I would write from Torquay & give my address.
If you do actually send me Aceras & on same day alight on O. latifolia, would you put in 2 or 3 specimens, but not otherwise. I have been wonderfully lucky in getting Orchids & this morning I examined O. aranifera & O. ustulata.4 Does Habenaria viridis grow in I. of Wight?5 When I get this latter and Aceras I shall have seen all that I can hope for. I presume Cephanthera ensifolia is hopeless.— I have had Malaxis and Goodyera, & shall get, I believe, O. hircina; so have I not been fortunate?6
I find in O. aranifera the pollen-masses do not fall out as in Bee Orchis. If you pass any group of the latter pray glance at a few to see if pollen-masses removed; but I despair of ever making out this species.—
I hope you will be so kind as to observe manner of ingress and egress of insects, if you can see any visit E. palustris; & whether Labellum is irritable.7 The examination of that species has been one of my greatest treats, which I owe to you.
I fear I am very unreasonable; but this subject is a passion with me.— Believe me | My dear Sir | Yours sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Babington, Charles Cardale. 1851. Manual of British botany, containing the flowering plants and ferns arranged according to the natural orders. 3d edition. London: John van Voorst.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.
Summary
Asks for specimens of Aceras.
Mentions orchid species he has seen. Asks AGM to make observations.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3174
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Alexander Goodman More
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Royal Irish Academy (A. G. More papers RIA MS 4 B 46)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3174,” accessed on 17 August 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3174.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 9