My dear Hooker

I have been greatly interested by Mimosa Albida, on which I have been working hard. Whilst yr memory is pretty fresh, I want to ask a question: When this plant was most sensitive & you irritated it, did the opposite leaflets shut up quite close, as occurs during sleep, when even a lancet c^d not be inserted between the leaflets? I can never cause the leaflets to come into contact, & some reasons make me doubt whether they ever do so, except during sleep; & this makes me wish much to hear from you.¹ I grieve to say that tho’ plant looks more unhealthy even than it was at Kew, I have nursed it like the tenderest infant; but I was forced to cut off one leaf to try the bloom, & one was broken by the manner of packing. I have never syringed (with tepid water) more than 1 leaf per day; but if it dies, I shall feel like a murderer. I am pretty well convinced that I shall make out my case of movements as a protection against rain lodging on the leaves.² As far as I have as yet made out M. albida is a splendid case.

I have had no time to examine more than one sp. of Eucalyptus.³ The seedlings of Lathyrus nissolia are very interesting to me;⁴ & there is something wonderful about them, unless seeds of 2 distinct leguminous species have got somehow mingled together. I have been thinking about Nepenthes, & about various exper^s which I have tried, & I cannot believe that cutting a hole in the pitcher w^d prevent the Carb. of Amm. being absorbed at distant points; or the glands secreting.⁵ I w^d certainly try again. If you have plenty of pitchers, c^d you not dry one with blotting paper, & after from 6 to 18 hrs or whatever time you think best cut it longitudinally & gently open,! & surely you c^d then see the points of secretion.

yours affectly | Ch. Darwin