From George Cross 9 October 1876
Bolland’s Court, | Chester,
9 Oct. ’76.
Dear Sir,
Your letter came to hand on Saturday & I am glad to learn that the specimens of sundew referred to in my first letter will be interesting to you.1 I was strongly tempted to cut the specimens up & try what I could make of them, but I knew they wod. receive much more enlightened methods of treatment from you. There is no doubt whatever that they are specimens of Drosera rotundifolia; some of the old roots leaves (as I now may term them) remain attached to the axis. I have not time today to answer all your queries, but they shall be fully answered in a few days Your request concerning the transmission of the plants will be attended to. They will be watched daily & if they appear to deteriote I will forward them to your present address.2 There is every reason to think that they will last until the 23rd. Oct.
Enclosed are two or three rough drawings by a friend of mine under my superintendence.3
Fig. I is a new leaf from the old crown & you will observe that a bud has developed from the midrib. The new leaf has no tentacles, only hairs.
Figs 2. & 4 are views of two of the plants, minus the old radical leaves most of which have decayed, at least their petioles; for Fig 3 is a still living blade bearing an unfolding bud, the stalk having rotted away. The plants were laid on moist peaty soil in a saucer, grew under the shade of some lycopods & ferns & had the rays of sunlight for an hour or two in the middle of the day, but more of this after. I shall be too late for the post I’m afraid—
faithfully yours | Geo Cross
Chas. Darwin Esq
[Enclosure]
Footnotes
Summary
Sending specimens of Drosera grown without insects.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-10636
- From
- George Cross
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Chester
- Source of text
- DAR 161: 269
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp sketch
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10636,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10636.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24