RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1872-1873]. ['On the movement of the leaves of Drosera'], folio 71. CUL-DAR61.90. (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 12.2022. 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 volumes CUL-DAR 54-61 contain material for Darwin's book Insectivorous plants (1875).
The volume CUL-DAR61 contains Darwin's draft essay 'On the movement of the leaves of Drosera', written 1872-1873. He intended to publish this with a revised edition of Climbing plants before commencing a larger book draft in April 1874 which became Insectivorous plants. See the introduction to this essay by John van Wyhe.
[90]
71
( I placed with a needle atoms of say the dry carbonate on several slightly glands; which & these were instantly blackened become black, & secreted copiously; but the tentacles, except in two instances, were not inflected.
It appeared that the gland was killed so quickly that no motor influence was could be sent to the basal & bending portion of the tentacles, & after for in some of the cases, after after five or six hours, their whole length whole tentacles were seen to be [illeg] in some of these cases was seen to be blackened & destroyed destroyed. Killed.) Strong solution
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 23 February, 2026