My dear Dyer

The Cinerarias have no special names but are such as would be obtained from any good packet of seed of the florists Cinerarias. This therefore can scarcely be what M^r Darwin means—though there are varieties of similar character to which trivial names are applied. As a rule, however, fewer Cinerarias are now named that formerly, as it is found that a good strain of the seed will yield a large proportion of what are considered as good flowers for decoration

I presume Mr Darwin wishes for the name of the species or type from which the garden Cinerarias have sprung.¹ This is principally from Senecio cruentus (originally called Cineraria cruenta: hence the garden name) partly from S. Tussilaginis more or less originally intermixed with one or all of the fruticosi species named in Db. Prod. vi. 409— See Bot. Mag. t 3215, Bot. Mag. 1839 t. 7.² For the last 30 years or more cross breeding between the varieties successively raised has been going on, so that very little of the originals is left.

Yours very truly | Tho^s Moore³