My dear Hooker

For the love of God help me. I believe all my work (about a fortnight) is useless. Look at this accursed diagram of the Butterfly orchis, which I examined after writing to you yesterday when I thought all my work done.¹ Some of The ducts of upper sepal & upper petal run to the wrong bundles or column.— I have seen no such case. This case apparently shows that not the least reliance can be placed on course of ducts. (I am sure of my facts).

There is great adhesion & extreme displacement of parts where the organs spring from top of ovarium. Asa Gray says ducts are very early developed, & it seems to me wonderful that they should pursue this course.— It may now be said that the lateral ducts in the Labellum running into the antero-lateral ovarian bundle is no argument that the Labellum consists of 3 organs blended together.—²

In desperation (& from the curious way the base of upper petals are soldered at basal edges) I fancied the real form of upper Sepal, upper petal, & lower sepal might be as represeted by red lines;³ & that there had been an incredible amount of splitting of sepals & petals & subsequent fusion.— This seems a monstrous notion; but I have just looked at Bauer’s drawing of allied Bonatea, & there is a degree of lobing of petals & sepals, which would account for anything.⁴ Now could you spare me a dry flower out of your Herbarium of Bonatea speciosa, that I might soak & look for ducts; if I cannot explain the case of Habenaria, all my work is smashed. I was a fool ever to touch orchids.—

Your affect. | C. Darwin