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To Daniel Oliver   [22 July 1864]1

Down Bromley Kent

Friday

Dear Oliver.

I am ashamed of myself for troubling you, busy as you are; but I was sorely tempted & I thought that you would naturally take a turn sometimes in the Garden.—2

I am very glad that you are going to have a holiday in France. On your return, perhaps you will observe this one point.— whether a leaf with a pitcher has ever fairly & closely wound round a stick or support.—3

My plant is improving for I have tried desperate methods of treatment & given it two steam baths daily at 100o. & it likes the stewing much.—4

The facts which you give me & your capital outlines will be of use.—

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Daniel Oliver. 21 July 1864. In 1864, the first Friday after 21 July was 22 July.
2
CD had asked Oliver about the climbing habits of Nepenthes (see letter to Daniel Oliver, 13 July [1864] and nn. 2 and 3, and letter from Daniel Oliver, 21 July 1864).
3
From his own observations, CD concluded that the leaves of Nepenthes wound around a stick in order to support the growing pitcher (see ‘Climbing plants’, pp. 46–7).
4
CD had much difficulty in cultivating Nepenthes (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 March [1863], and this volume, letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 April [1864]).

Bibliography

‘Climbing plants’: On the movements and habits of climbing plants. By Charles Darwin. [Read 2 February 1865.] Journal of the Linnean Society (Botany) 9 (1867): 1–118.

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Summary

Will DO observe whether leaf [of Nepenthes] with pitcher ever wound round a stick? CD’s plant is improving.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-4566
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Daniel Oliver
Sent from
Down
Source of text
Edward Ford (private collection); in September 2020 owned by ZHANG, Lun Xia (private collection)
Physical description
ALS 3pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4566,” accessed on 12 November 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4566.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 12

letter

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