RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1863.02.24-03.05. Oxalis (Biophytum) sensitiva. CUL-DAR111.A45. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 1.2023. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR108-111 contain material for Darwin's book Forms of flowers (1877).


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Feb. 24. 63 Oxalis, (Biophyllum) [Biophytum] sensitiva

Young flowers.— Sepals adherent — Petals scale-like rounded — 5 longer stamens, 5 shorter, the latter reaching up to base of anthers of longer & just overlapping scale like petals — Taller stamens just on level with 5 stigmas.— Pollen grains distinct at this period, but immersed in fluid.— In an older flower, with pistil grown far above anther (; & the latter lost)— The tips of calyx had separated, so flower open—

I examined anther flower, with petals orange as long as calyx— stamen & pistil grown longer —

Pistils divergent — anthers creaked of both upper & lower stamens — Would soon have been impregnated — Pistil consist of numerous fold or furrow, down one side The tip of which makes a sort of little crest.

March 5' Two flowers can now come fully out with well-developed flower in store; so evidently produce two kinds & graduate into each other & both produce seeds

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In these open flowers orange with pink veins, the stigmas stand between upper & lower stamens.

In O. Braziliensis stand high above the upper stamens; one would think dimorphic.

(Perfect flowers stigma between longer & shorter stamens. (1) petals far beyond longer stamen—

(Imperfect do in relative of reproductive organs very different— here stigma project far beyond anthers of latter stamen; but petiole [illeg] to scales soldered to bases of shorter stamens.— stigma much much smaller with pollen-grain attached to them by tubes, as if run out of anther-cells.? Sack from petals all right— Pistil appear as if divided — more spinose.— stigma face less papillose.

Anther Pollen-grain of taller stamen stamen had protruded the tube to great length & yet many grains attached to stigmas by quite short tubes — perhaps pistils had grown a little. — Anther of imperfect flower much smaller.— as 55:70 or 11:14 — Both divergent stigma at least as 40 to 26 — or 20 to 13


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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

File last updated 29 May, 2023