To Daniel Oliver 23 [November 1862]1
Down Bromley Kent
23d.
Dear Oliver
I am very curious to hear about Epilobium angustifolium,2 both on account of fact itself, & for following odd psychological case.— I knew plant well between 20 & 30 years ago in my Father’s grounds;3 well, this summer it flashed across my mind that there was something dimorphic in it.4 I tried my best, but could remember no vestige of particulars; yet I was very near sending to my sister for a lot of flowers;5 but as I could hardly remember anything of flower, except its colour, I thought it too foolish.— If it really is dimorphic I shall always look at my flash of memory like one of those cases of persons in a fever who have temporarily remembered a language learnt in infancy & ever after forgotten.—
If you have pretty good reason to think it dimorphic, ask Hooker to put it down in list of seeds required, if I can possibly get it.6 Seeds are much better than roots, as same form may spread by suckers.— For several reasons (Clarkia elegans) I shd. very much like to experiment on this plant.7
About strawberries, do you refer to American plan of planting 6 rows of “pistillates” & one row of hermaphrodites?— If something else kindly inform me, as I have written a very little on strawberries.8 Thank Hooker for very kind offer of dried plants;9 but I hate dried plants; I can make nothing of them & I profoundly pity all you Botanists.—
Will you ask Hooker (to whom I shall be writing before long, for I never give him a long holiday) if he gets the missing vol. of Bot. Journal for Linn. Soc. kindly to send it me (per Railway to care of Down Postman) first & then I will send it in his name to the Soc; for I want pretty soon to consult it, before I write my paper on Linum for Linn. Socy.—10
Ever | Yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Collected papers: The collected papers of Charles Darwin. Edited by Paul H. Barrett. 2 vols. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. 1977.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Forms of flowers: The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1877.
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1978. Charles Darwin: a companion. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Planchon, Jules Emile. 1847–8. Sur la famille des Linnes. London Journal of Botany 6 (1847): 588–603; 7 (1848): 165–86, 473–501, 507–28.
‘Two forms in species of Linum’: On the existence of two forms, and on their reciprocal sexual relation, in several species of the genus Linum. By Charles Darwin. [Read 5 February 1863.] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society (Botany) 7 (1864): 69–83. [Collected papers 2: 93–105.]
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Examined Epilobium 20 or 30 years ago at Shrewsbury. In a flash remembered it as dimorphic, but had forgotten its name.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3819
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Daniel Oliver
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 261.10: 57 (EH 88206040)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3819,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3819.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10