To W. E. Darwin [24 June 1866]1
Down
Sunday
My dear W.
Send me dry in paper a few youngish flowers of two males, that I may put pollen of both close together under microscope. Attend well to gradation between the 2 males & between the 2 females— I feel great interest in your discovery, if it will but hold good.—2
Please send 3 or 4 twigs, about as thick as tobacco-pipes, (of last year’s shoots bearing this year’s sprouts) of all 4 forms, & we will try whether they will strike, but the chance is poor.—3 Tie up & damp each lot of 3 or 4 separately; ; & then tie 4 bundles close together into one & perhaps roll the whole in tin-foil.— I will repay postage—but it need not be more than about a shilling—
Your affect. Father | C. Darwin
Thanks for note by George about ovules.4 I suppose there is no difference in length of stamens in the 2 males.—5
I wish to Heaven pollen-grains had not been largest in your “pistillate males”:—6
Hooker is here & very pleasant.7 I have been telling him about Rhamnus & he is much surprised; but I fear, I fear.
Does Rhamnus grow in sandy, or clay soil— In sun or shade??8
Footnotes
Summary
Polymorphic flowers of Rhamnus [see Forms of flowers, p. 294].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5132
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Erasmus Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 185: 16
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5132,” accessed on 9 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5132.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 14