RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. Watson, Purdie, Gardner, Hooker in London Journal of Botany. CUL-DAR73.60-63. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/).
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Kees Rookmaaker, edited by John van Wyhe 3.2014. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with the permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR 72-75 contain Darwin's abstracts of scientific books and journals.
The London Journal of Botany. Sir W.J. Hooker. vol. 3 (2nd series) 1844
Better given in Phytologist
p. 77. H. C. Watson says 4 forms which pass under name of Primula elatior. 1st P. vulgaris with umbel elevated on common stalk. 2d another form with flower smaller & deeper coloured & grow in a many flowered umbel on a stout scape: thinks this is hybrid between primrose & cowslip & is usually (if not always) fd in company with both parents in damp ground. 3d there is a large-flowered cowslip, with the limit broader & less concave than usual. 4th the true P. elatior of Bardfield.
p. 512. Mr. Purdie got on Mt of Jamaica, Vaccinium meridionale, Myotus alpina, p. 515 also Andromeda Jamaicensis, Myrica Mexicana, Viburnum villosim — says p. 518 Andromeda Jamaicensis & A. fascuculata are not fd on higher mountains, but on mt near Gablah's river.
London Journal of Botany, vol. 6
p. 57 Gardner says that in Brazil an Utricularia is found only in water growing in the water, which collects in the hollow bases of the leaves of a large Tillandsia, that inhabits abundantly on arid rocky part of the Organ Mts. —
p. 125. Botany of the Niger Expedition of Sir W. & Dr Hooker. "Note a Madeira Plant"
In Madeira 85 absolutely peculiar, 672. plants & Ferns.
280 [some text faded] how many were non-European, i.e. whether connection was through Europe. common to Azores, of which flora estimated at 425 sp.
312. [some text faded] (or probably more) common to Canary Id.
170 common to near Gibraltar, where 456 have been collected. Out of 400 European species fd in Madeira, & these are Metiderranean species yet only 170 of these occur in Gibraltar.
A considerable number of the Madeiran plants belong to genera not found on the adjacent continents, but on the Canaries, Azores (from H.C. Watson list, not my genera) & C. Verd Isds. thus indicating a Bot. affinity between them.
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groups & confined to them. The evidence us very divided on this head. the mediterranean Flora seems added on to this Atlantic Flora. The Canaries & nadeira are centres of this. In Madeira & Canary Isds only mediterranean species are superadded: in Azores some more N. European species. In C. de Verde, W. Indian & W. African plants replicate those of the Mediterranean.
p. 128. Madeira owing to damp climate participate in W. Indian plants more than any plant of adjacent continent, as shown by Ferns. But there is a species of Clethra, otherwise exclusively American. The Heduchrysa are allied in a rather remarkable degree to the S. African species of the Genus, a fact which reminds us that the Myrsine africana, a Cape of Good Hope plant is native to Azores. — nor anywhere else except Abbyssina.
p. 129. Against Forbes hypothesis it might be urged that more specific identity between the plants of th several insular groups, would there be the natural consequence than now is seen; for the affinity of vegetation between the different islands consists not in identical species, but in representatives. The same agent, in short, which effected the peopling of the several groups with the plants of continental Europe, would, also have distributed more equally to more Europaean species, over the same area. —
(Madeira existed probably at Miocene period.
One may argue as far as chance goes that the several atlantic Isds would derive their plants from neighbouring continent & not from each other
over)
the plant wd be drifted on to the isld at different periods & very often the same species wd be drifted on the different islands (as now is case with congenity of plants in these islds). or allied species only on single isld. The old imported plant wd be most changed, & many probably wd become extinct before, & many remain after their continental prototypes had perished. — Hence there wd be representative species in different islds & not same. — The immigration must not be supposed to be uniform. —
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
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