To C. C. Babington 4 March [1858]1
Down Bromley Kent
March 4th
Dear Babington
I am very much obliged for your careful answer.— Your opinion agrees with Hooker’s & Bentham’s (though I do not know whether question was put fairly to him)2 & H. C. Watson’s.3 I have also written to Asa Gray.4 My impression would have been, from animals, that monotypic forms were more interesting & had therefore been more attended to; Bunbury took this view;5 but I bow to you several gentlemen who have had such large experience.—
You may like to hear what the facts of the case are: I have had tabulated several Floras (yours amongst the rest)6 of all parts of world & 6 vols. of DeCandolles Prodromus & I have divided all the species into two great sub-equal groups, & marked how many varieties or rather how many species presenting vars. have been recorded in each genus; & I find almost universally the large genera show a marked preponderance in the number of varieties. Until Hooker’s suggestion I inferred from this that the species in the larger genera did really vary most; but now I see that my results are most seriously vitiated, perhaps rendered quite worthless.— You all, however, speak doubtfully & Hooker had never thought of this, till I told him of my results, which has caused me a deal of trouble in vain.—
With my sincere thanks, pray believe me | Dear Babington | Yours very 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.
Summary
Notes views of Hooker and George Bentham on monotypic forms.
Has tabulated several floras and finds that large genera show preponderance in numbers of varieties. Now sees his results are quite worthless.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2233
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Charles Cardale Babington
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Cambridge University Library (MS Add.8182: 21)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2233,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2233.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 7