Summary

Thanks for CD’s offer of assistance after flood damage.

Comments on Movement in plants. Discusses sleep movements and paraheliotropism of Maranta and other plants.

Describes the fertilisation of figs by Hymenoptera.

Summary

Describes variability in the stamens and pollen of Lagerstroemia, which CD spoke of in Forms of flowers.

Also reports on similar phenomena in Pontederiacea (Heteranthera reniformis).

Has received from Paul Mayer an interesting paper on metamorphosis in Palaemonetes varians, which is also being studied by J. E. V. Boas in Denmark. Shows differences between larval development in Danish forms and those found in southern Italy.

Summary

In his last letter FM told CD about four flowers of Lagerstroemia that he had fertilised with the yellow pollen of another variety or species and which had subsequently fallen off. He has now repeated the experiment using the yellow pollen of a different variety and successfully produced good fruit as large as that fertilised with green pollen.

Summary

Has just received CD’s letter of 12 April [13113]. To answer CD’s query, Heteranthera reniformis is an amphibious plant that grows as well on moist ground as it does in ditches filled with water.

For the past few weeks has been observing Phyllanthus plants that had shown the irregular movement in leaves returning from the positions assumed at night, but none has repeated the irregularity. Perhaps the progeny from the seeds he has collected will inherit the tendency for irregular movement.

Describes his observations of the power of movement in Cassia, Desmodium, and a few other plants.

Paul Mayer has identified seven new species of insects FM found in nine different species of figs.

Summary

Thanks CD for his letter of 21 June [13212].

Is sending seeds of Oxalis sepium, which came from a cross between a plant with long pistils and another with pistils intermediate in length. Perhaps some of the plants that come from them will have short pistils.

FM does not know who told Dr B [Wilhelm Breitenbach] that he had lost a whole library in the flood. In fact, he lost only a few books that he had left behind thinking they were safe where they were.

Has taken the opportunity of a recent cold spell to test CD’s views on nyctitropism [night movements] in plants. Describes Pandanus and Oxalis sepium.

Has just received CD’s letter of 4 July and he is glad that his observations on the effects of rain on plants interested CD.

Summary

Discusses some of his observations on the sleep movement in plants. Has been studying the leaflets of Crotalaria; has discovered they move to face the setting sun.

Summary

Thanks CD for letter of 10 September [13326]

and for copy of Nature.

Reports on Lagerstroemia experiments.

Has been making observations on what happens to plants following heavy rain. Sends CD three specimens to show how dirt attaches to the undersides of leaves.