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Darwin Correspondence Project

To J. D. Hooker   [29 June 1870]1

Down. [6 Queen Anne Street, London]

Wed.

My dear Hooker

I have heard from Durando & he can send me only seeds of the Iberis.2

I have seeds of Hibiscus Africanus & of Nolana prostrata from Carters, said to be matured in Essex; now cd you give me seeds of these 2 plants raised at Kew; for this wd be some change of conditions, though not so great as I shd wish—3

It was a gt disappointment not to get to Kew on Sunday. We return home early on Friday mg—& if you have them you had better send the seeds to Down—4

yours affectly | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letters to J. D. Hooker, 25 May [1870] and [13 June 1870?], and by the dates of CD’s visit to London; the Darwins were in London from 24 June to 1 July 1870 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). The only Wednesday during this period was 29 June.
Gaetano Durando collected plants in Algiers. No correspondence with him has been found. See also the letter to J. D. Hooker, [13 June 1870?] and n. 2, and Cross and self fertilisation, p. 105.
See letter to J. D. Hooker, [13 June 1870?] and nn. 3 and 4. Hibiscus africanusis a synonym of H. trionum, bladder ketmia. Nolana prostrata is a synonym of N. paradoxa, Chilean-bellflower. CD probably refers to the seed merchants Carter, Dunnett and Beale of London (Post Office London directory 1870).
Sunday was 26 June 1870; the Darwins went back to Down on Friday 1 July 1870.

Bibliography

Cross and self fertilisation: The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1876.

Post Office London directory: Post-Office annual directory. … A list of the principal merchants, traders of eminence, &c. in the cities of London and Westminster, the borough of Southwark, and parts adjacent … general and special information relating to the Post Office. Post Office London directory. London: His Majesty’s Postmaster-General [and others]. 1802–1967.

Summary

Asks whether JDH can send seeds of Hibiscus africanus and of Nolana prostrata raised at Kew.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-7251
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sent from
London Queen Anne St, 6
Source of text
DAR 94: 173
Physical description
LS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7251,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7251.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 18

letter