London,
Monday
Dear Sir
The gardener <1> has not made his appearance yet, but I dare say he will in the course of the evening. I am very much obliged to you for the trouble you have taken about it, & I will write you word how the Young man gets on.
I wish you would send me a specimen of Sisymbrium canescens, <2> and I will dry for you a specimen of the Texas Sisymbrium from my greenhouse – Deeming it a different species from canescens because it is not at all canescent, but of a lightgreen colour, I propose to call it chloroleucum because its petals are not yellow, but greenish. The Arenaria is quite different from Marina, as I have exd 50 individuals or more of the Texas plant, and have raised 2 generations of them in my greenhouse without perceiving the least variation – As to Arenaria rubra I have not seen that plant lately, but if it resembles Marina very nearly, it cannot resemble the Texas plant for which I propose the name of Arenaria oligandra on account of its having only 2 or 3 Stamens.
Silene maritima differs from S. inflata in having petala coronata. Also in a multitude of minor points such as, that the unripe seeds of inflata are white, those of maritima a fine lively purple. Maritima does not alter the least in my garden from its original type, tho’ I have had it 3 years –
Silene nutans in my garden, only opens its flowers at night, they are rolled up all day & look quite withered. I have noticed this some Years, yet it is not mentioned in authors – Lychnis & Agrostemma are the same genus – There is absolutely no difference in Structure between Lychnis Corsica & Agrostemma Cœli Rosa.
The very remarkable specific distinction between Drosera longifolia & rotundifolia (founded on the seeds) which I once pointed out to you, & which Mr Wilson <3> had also observed, was remarked long ago by Hayne in his Gewächse, <4> I believe not a common book, but an excellent one. You say Persoon <5> & Martius <6> call the genus to which A. marina belongs, Spergularia, is this an admissible name according to the Linnæan canons? Stipularia is bad, because the Stipulæ are not remarkable in themselves, but only in contrast with other Arenariæ. Lepigonum I do not see how this name applies. I think Spergulopsis might do. If among your Hungarian seeds <7> there was Mattia umbellata I believe it is a rarity – It has come up with me. Strangways <8> says there will be no difficulty in sending thro’ the Foreign Office the parcels you wish to send to Bologna, Naples & Vienna The parcel for Pavia may be dropped at Milan – If Gussone <9> wishes to send you a parcel, supposed not very large, he can direct it to Strangways and take it to the British Embassy at Naples who will forward it.
Will you inform < me what <10> is the price of Gardner’s mosses, <11> and how many specimens?
Believe me Yours very truly
H. F. Talbot
July 4. 1836
Notes:
1. John Reid. [See Doc. No: 03223].
2. See Doc. No: 03315.
3. William Wilson (1799–1871), botanist.
4. Friedrich Gottlob Hayne (1763–1832), Getreue Abbildungen und Zergliederungen Deutscher Gewächse (Leipzig: Voss, 1794–1801).
5. Christian Hendrik Persoon (1755–1837), Synopsis plantarum seu Enchiridium botanicum… (Paris: C. F. Cramer, 1805).
6. Dr Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868), German botanist.
7. See Doc. No: 03280.
8. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
9. Giovanni Gussone (1787–1866), Italian botanist.
10. Smudged text.
11. George Gardner (1812–1849), Musci Britannici, or pocket herbarium of British mosses, Glasgow, lithographed by Allan & Ferguson, 1836. Gardner set out for Brazil in May 1836.