The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1863.05.11. Oak. CUL-DAR49.89. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 1.2022. 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 volume CUL-DAR49 contains notes for Natural selection chap. 3 on 'On...organic beings occasionally crossing' or dichogamy.

"Leith Hill Place, near Dorking, Surrey. 1842 Josiah Wedgwood [III] bought it, about 4,000 acres, on resigning his partnership in the family firm, home c.1847-80 Also home of Margaret Susan Wedgwood (Mrs Vaughan Williams), before 1944 and later. It was passed to Hervey Vaughan Williams, and in 1944 on his death to Ralph Vaughan Williams, who gave it to the National Trust. They leased it to Ralph Wedgwood, his cousin and close friend." (Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021)

[89]

Leith Hill May 11 /63/ Oak.

Male flowers in catkins - Pollen incoherent in great profusion. Female flowers with pink small red viscid stigma; on long footstalk arising in axil of leaves generally at end of shoot; so as to be fully exposed; only a few buried under leaves - Hence leaves being pretty fully developed can be but small injury.

Use of corolla

Look at all flowers fertilised by wind - Coniferæ - amentaceæ, (specify 2 groups) Except willows - Ash & I believe in other Trees - All Grasses & [illeg] - Platanus. Burnet? Dock & Sorrel - Spinage? Beet? Nettles? & Hops? Now here we have not one brightly coloured flower. This shows use of corolla. (besides other possible uses). If an insect were destroyed, after a time, vegetation wd be reduced to above forms!

over

[89v]

It would fully be reduced to this state, if only mandibulate insects (which are least modified) existed - See to Pictet where the [Ham…..] came in. - Can this bear on old state of Vegetation?

Aug. 24 Common Beet pollen can be shaken off, but not quite freely - stigmas short & plumose - I much doubt about the wind.

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