From John Syer Bristowe 17 September 1868
11 Old Burlington St.
Sept. 17 /68
Dear Sir,
I dont know that the following case can be of any interest to you; but as you mention analogous peculiarities in regard to other vegetable productions,1 & omit so far as I know to notice this particular case, I intend to send you a very brief account of it.
My brother, who has somewhat recently come to reside on Denmark Hill,2 has there a vine growing in the open air. Last year it bore no fruit: this year it has a considerable number of large bunches of small grapes— The great majority of the grapes are purple; but every one (I think) of the bunches has from one to several & sometimes a cluster of green grapes, of the same size as the purple grapes, equally ripe with them, & resembling exactly what are called I believe the “sweet-water” grape. But besides these there are in probably every bunch, certain grapes of which a definite segment ( , or a smaller fractional part) is purple, the remainder being green, & the differently coloured portions being separated by a well defined limit.3
Of the vine itself I can give no history: it is I think a tolerably old vine—
If this case is, or can be made, of the slightest interest to you, I shall be happy to furnish you with further partiulars, and to send you several bunches of the grapes—
Yours very truly | J. S. Bristowe (M.D)
![diagram](/sites/default/files/dcp_lett_6371.jpg)
C. Darwin Esq F.R.S
Footnotes
Bibliography
Post Office London suburban directory: The Post Office London suburban directory. Kelly’s London suburban directory. London: Kelly & Co. 1860–1903.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Reports a case of peculiar colouring in grapes, each with well-defined segments of purple.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6371
- From
- John Syer Bristowe
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Old Burlington St, 11
- Source of text
- DAR 160: 311
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6371,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6371.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16