From Asa Gray 2–3 July 1862
Summary
Discusses dimorphic plants and the occurrence of "precocious fertilisation" in the bud.
Gives some comments on design in nature in the light of the translator’s commentary in the French edition of the Origin.
Reports the recent events of the Civil War.
[Note on verso of envelope:] Utricularia vulgaris is "about as neatly contrived for cross-fertilisation by insects as almost any orchid".
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 2–3 July 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 110a, 112–12a |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3637 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … Letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] . Gray refers to Leonard …
- … Darwin . In the letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] , CD requested Gray’s assistance in …
- … in Gray’s letters (see letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] , and letter from Asa Gray, [ …
- … to each other and under similar conditions (see letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] ). …
- … See letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] . A summary of Meehan’s findings is given in …
- … 1843 , 1: 428). In the letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] , CD discussed the occurrence …
- … October 1861 . In the letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] , CD asked Gray to observe the …
- … trans. 1862. See letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] . As president of the Linnean …
- … Correspondence vol. 8). See letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] . As Gray was over 50, …
To John Murray 18 [June 1862]
Summary
Superb, but exaggerated, review [of Orchids, by M. J. Berkeley] in London Review [& wkly J. Polit. 4 (1862): 553–4]. Asa Gray thinks almost as highly. "I have not been a fool, as I thought I was, to publish." The Athenæum review will hinder sales greatly.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 18 [June 1862] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 f. 123) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3609 |
To Asa Gray 10–20 June [1862]
Summary
Thanks AG for praise of Orchids and his notes on several American species of orchid. Comments on AG’s observations.
Is experimenting [on dimorphism] with Rhexia and Melastoma.
Asks AG’s opinion of a paper by Thomas Meehan ["On the uniformity of relative characters between allied species of European and American trees", Proc. Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Sci. (1862): 10–13] which is the best case of the apparently direct action of the conditions of life CD has seen.
Requests postage stamp for his ill son [Leonard].
Thanks AG for observations on Cypripedium and gives recent observations of his own.
Arethusa is very pretty; structure seems like that of Vanilla.
Finds the little (so-called imperfect) flowers of Viola and Oxalis curious: the pollen-grains emit their tubes whilst within the anthers, and they travel in straight lines right to the stigmas.
Sympathises with events in the U. S.
Reports on French translation of Origin by Mlle C. Royer, "one of the cleverest & oddest women in Europe".
Alphonse de Candolle says he wants direct proof of natural selection; "he will have to wait a long time for that".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 10–20 June [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (66) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3595 |
Leidy, Joseph. 1858. Notice of remains of extinct Vertebrata, from the valley of the Niobrara River, collected during the exploring expedition of 1857, in Nebraska, under the command of Lieut. G. K. Warren, US Top. Eng., by Dr F. V. Hayden, geologist to the expedition. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 10: 20–9. [Vols. 10,11]
To Alphonse de Candolle 17 June [1862]
Summary
Is pleased that AdeC is interested in the Primula case ["Dimorphic condition of Primula", Collected papers 2: 45–63]. Is pursuing analogous experiments on other plants and on seedlings raised from the unions.
CD’s "large work" progresses slowly owing to ill health and his work on Orchids.
CD is not surprised that AdeC is unwilling to admit natural selection – "the subject hardly admits of direct proof or evidence. It will be believed in only by those who think that it connects & partly explains several large classes of facts".
Hopes AdeC will publish on Quercus
and rejoices that he intends to return to the study of geographical distribution. No one can claim to have read AdeC’s truly great work on that subject [Géographie botanique (1855)] with more care than CD.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Alphonse de Candolle |
Date: | 17 June [1862] |
Classmark: | Archives de la famille de Candolle (private collection) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3608 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … 17 May 1862] , and letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] . Candolle’s name is included on …
- … letters to Asa Gray , 15 March [1862] and 10–20 June [1862] ). See also letters to Daniel …
- … 30 May [1862] , and letter to Asa Gray, 10–20 June [1862] . See letter from Alphonse de …
- … Read 20 February 1868. ] Journal of the Linnean Society of London ( Botany ) 10 (1869): …
To John Scott 12 November [1862]
Summary
Discusses whether or not "male" Acropera bear fruit. JS’s interpretation of Acropera pollination is ingenious. Pollen-tubes of some cleistogamous flowers germinate in the anthers.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Scott |
Date: | 12 Nov [1862] |
Classmark: | DAR 93: B7–10 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3805 |
Gray, John Edward. 1872–3. On the guémul (Huamela leucotis). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 10 (1872): 445–6; 11 (1873): 214–20, 308–10.
To Daniel Oliver [before 11 June 1862]
Summary
Asa Gray approves of Orchids; his work on American species confirms CD’s findings.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Daniel Oliver |
Date: | [before 11 June 1862] |
Classmark: | DAR 261.10: 33 (EH 88206016) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3583 |
From Asa Gray 21 July 1862
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 21 July 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 114 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3661 |
Radlkofer, Ludwig. 1857. On true parthenogenesis in plants. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 2d ser. 20: 204–10.
To J. E. Gray 4 February [1873]
Summary
Is glad JEG has made out what the guemul is ["On the Guémul", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th ser. 10 (1872): 445–6; 11 (1873): 214–20, 308–10].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Edward Gray |
Date: | 4 Feb [1873] |
Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.411) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8758 |
To John Murray 13 June [1862]
Summary
CD orders electrotypes for German edition of Orchids.
Asa Gray doubts an American publication is possible but will review it in Sillimans Journal.
[British] botanists have praised it. Other reviews.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Murray |
Date: | 13 June [1862] |
Classmark: | National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff. 120–122) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3602 |
Tyndall, John. 1872a. The ‘prayer for the sick’: hints towards a serious attempt to estimate its value. Contemporary Review 20: 205–10.
From Asa Gray 18 May 1862
Summary
Has received first sheets of Orchids and is very impressed. "What a skill & genius you have for these researches."
Details of U. S. orchids.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 18 May 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 109 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3559 |
To Asa Gray 26[–7] November [1862]
Summary
Discusses AG’s article ["Dimorphism", Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 419–20]. Does not like the terms "dioecio-dimorphism" or "precocious fertilisation". Discusses the separation of sexes in plants; cannot doubt that hermaphroditism is the aboriginal state.
Discusses AG’s observations on orchids and his review of Orchids [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 138–51].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 26[–7] Nov [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (50) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3830 |
To Asa Gray 1 July [1862]
Summary
Thanks for notes on Cypripedium and Platanthera hookeri, which is really beautiful and quite a new case.
His son, George, has been observing the insect fertilisation of orchids.
CD has been crossing peloric flowers of Pelargonium, but doubts he will get good results with respect to sterility of hybrids.
Rhexia glandulosa does not appear to be dimorphic. Lythrum is trimorphic.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 1 July [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (69) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3634 |
From Asa Gray 4 August 1862
Summary
Gives J. T. Rothrock’s observations on the structure and fertility of the two forms of Houstonia. Mentions his own observations on Rhexia virginica and Gymnadenia tridentata.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 4 Aug 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 110 (ser. 2): 67–9 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3679 |
To Asa Gray 21 August [1862]
Summary
Emma and Leonard have scarlet fever.
Houstonia seems "a grand case"; J. T. Rothrock should publish his observations on the two pollens and the reciprocal action of two hermaphrodites.
Rhexia glandulosa offers nothing odd, but Heterocentron will turn out something marvellous like Lythrum.
Would like to know what AG thinks of last chapter of Orchids.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 21 Aug [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (67) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3692 |
To Asa Gray 14 July [1862]
Summary
Adaptations of orchid flowers. Believes the structure of all irregular flowers is adaptation to insect fertilisation.
Linum grandiflorum distinguishes its own pollen so that when placed on stigma of same flower the pollen-tube is not even exserted.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 14 July [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (70) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3656 |
From Asa Gray 18–19 August 1862
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 18–19 Aug 1862 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 111, 116 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3688 |
letter | (686) |
people | (170) |
bibliography | (21) |
Darwin, C. R. | (353) |
Hooker, J. D. | (51) |
Gray, Asa | (26) |
Scott, John | (15) |
Darwin, W. E. | (14) |
Darwin, C. R. | (316) |
Hooker, J. D. | (65) |
Gray, Asa | (31) |
Darwin, W. E. | (19) |
Scott, John | (19) |
Darwin, C. R. | (669) |
Hooker, J. D. | (116) |
Gray, Asa | (57) |
Scott, John | (34) |
Darwin, W. E. | (33) |
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