years old I should have been uneasy about it. It
shall be returned the first day I send to Bromley. I have steamed the
other plants, and made the sensitive plant very sensitive, and
shall soon try some experiments on it. But after all it will only be
amusement. Nevertheless, if not causing too much trouble, I should be
very glad of a few young plants of this and Hedysarum in summer (617/2.
Hedysarum or Desmodium gyrans, the telegraph-plant.), for this kind
of work takes no time and amuses me much. Have you seeds of Oxalis
sensitiva, which I see mentioned in books? By the way, what a fault it
is in Henslow's "Botany" that he gives hardly any references; he alludes
to great series of experiments on absorption of poison by roots, but
where to find them I cannot guess. Possibly the all-knowing Oliver may
know. I can plainly see that the glands of Drosera, from rapid power
(almost instantaneous) of absorption and power of movement, give
enormous advantage for such experiments. And some day I will enjoy
myself with a good set to work; but it will be a great advantage if I
can get some preliminary notion on other sensitive plants and on roots.

Oliver said he would speak about some seeds of Lythrum hyssopifolium
being preserved for me. By the way, I am rather disgusted to find
I cannot publish this year on Lythrum salicaria; I must make 126
additional crosses. All that I expected is true, but I have plain
indication of much higher complexity. There are three pistils of
different structure and functional power, and I strongly suspect
altogether five kinds of pollen all different in this one species!
(617/3. See "Forms of Flowers," Edition II., page 138.)

By any chance have you at Kew any odd varieties of the common potato? I
want to grow a few plants of every variety, to compare flowers, leaves,
fruit, etc., as I have done with peas, etc. (617/4. "Animals and
Plants," Edition II., Volume I., page 346. Compare also the similar
facts with regard to cabbages, loc. cit., page 342. Some of the original
specimens are in the Botanical Museum at Cambridge.)

LETTER 618. J.D. HOOKER TO CHARLES DARWIN.

(618/1. The following is part of Letter 144, Volume I. It refers to
reviews of "Fertilisation of Orchids" in the "Gardeners' Chronicle,"
1862, pages 789, 863, 910, and in the "Natural History Review," October,
1862, page 371.)

November 7th, 1862.

Dear old Darwin,

I assure you it was not my fault! I worried Lindley over and