To A. G. More 23 September [1861]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Sept. 23d
My dear Sir
As I have drawn up my paper on the fertilisation of Orchids, I shd. be very glad to hear about the capsules of Ep. palustris. Will you, therefore, apply to your friend?—2 If ripe I shd. like to see any capsules produced by the mutilated flowers & others for comparison.— In some other experiments on Orchids I have found that the external size of capsule is a very poor criterion of production of good seeds.— Will you ask your friend to observe how far the untouched flowers have produced capsules.— And please inform me how many flowers you mutilated.—3
Pray excuse my asking you to take all this trouble about my hobby-horse. I am very curious on the point, though I shall not be surprised to hear that I have much exaggerated the importance of the Labellum.—4
I hope that you have quite recovered your health.— And pray believe me | My dear Sir | Yours sincerely & obliged | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.
Summary
Would like capsule of Epipactis palustris. Asks for information.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3262
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Alexander Goodman More
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Royal Irish Academy (A. G. More papers RIA MS 4 B 46)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3262,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3262.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 9