RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1878.06.25-28. Stapelia / Draft of Cross and self fertilisation. CUL-DAR209.4.377-378. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe, edited by John van Wyhe 9.2022. RN2

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 volume CUL-DAR209.4 contains materials for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).

Draft of Cross and self fertilisation in the hand of Ebenezer Norman with corrections by Darwin.


[377]

Stapelia roof

Further with mark

measure

25.   8° 15

  8. 15

 9. 20 

9 20

 10. 40 

10. 40

 from me 

from me

11° 55 same course

11. 55 about same course

1° from me & to left

2° 7 to right

2° 7' to right

3 to me

3° too little change to be trusted not mark

4 gone back but not trustworthy

4° a dot made

6 an atom to right

I cannot see well

8 from me

 

10. 15 do

  

 

 

26

 

6°. 45 from m.....

 

7. 45 moved Pot

  

9° I believe right?

  

10. 5 from me

  

11. 20 almost same spot

  

12. 35 to right

  

2°. 3' atom towards me

  

3. to right

  

4 to left

  

6° back to right

  

8. 15 from me

  

10. 10 to right

  

6° 50 to m [sketch]

  

8° 10 gone back

  

new dot

 

 

[377v]

The same flower, we shall find that these are 15 species of which the crossed offspring are non-castrated flowers of these 15 species, were greatly superior in is height, weight and fertility, to the self-fertilised offspring*. It may be worth while to recall to the reader's mind some details on this head. With For instance with Ipomœa [text excised] every single intercrossed plant exceeded in

[Cross and self fertilisation, pp. 396-97: "Thus in Tables A, B, and C, there are at least fifteen species which are self-fertile when insects are excluded; and this implies that their stigmas must receive their own pollen; nevertheless, most of the seedlings which were raised by fertilising the non-castrated flowers of these fifteen species with pollen from another plant were greatly superior, in height, weight, and fertility, to the self-fertilised offspring.*
* These fifteen species consist of Brassica oleracea, Reseda odorata and lutea, Limnanthes douglasii, Papaver vagum, Viscaria oculata,
For instance, with Ipomoea purpurea every single intercrossed plant exceeded in height its self-fertilised opponent until the sixth generation; and so it was with Mimulus luteus until the fourth generation."]

[378]

Stapelia (Moved Pot)


27' 8° 10' am
10 to right & to me
11. 30 from me straight
1° to right & little to me
2. 50 atom from me
4°. 40' same place
6° to the right & to me very short way
8° 30 from me
10. 20 to me & back

 28'   6. 50  

Move more 8° 30 ⊡ & 10°
28' 6° 50

378v]

cowslip (Primula. veris) plenty of pollen from from the same plant, and after 24 hours some was added from a short-styled dark-red Polyanthus, which is a variety of the cowslip. was added. From the flowers thus treated 30 seedlings were raised, and all these without exception bore reddish flowers; so that the [text excised]

[Cross and self fertilisation, pp. 396-97: "Secondly, I placed on several stigmas of a long-styled cowslip (Primula veris) plenty of pollen from the same plant, and after twenty-four hours added some from a short-styled dark-red Polyanthus, which is a variety of the cowslip. From the flowers thus treated thirty seedlings were raised, and all these without exception bore reddish flowers; so that the effect of the plant's own pollen, though placed on the stigmas twenty-four hours previously, was quite destroyed by that of the red variety."]


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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 20 December, 2025