31 Sackville S^{t <1>}
18^th April 1836

My dear Sir

I enclose you a letter from Bertoloni ^<2> excusing himself for not having thanked you sooner for the British Plants ^<3> which you sent him. I have observed lately a very curious structure in the pollen of the genus Pinus – It consists of three little vesicles united together, of which the 2 lateral ones contain the granules and the central one which is empty, probably acts the office of a wing in floating the particles about in the air. This beautiful structure is apparently universal, at least I observed no instance of deviation from it. I thought that this was a novelty, and a new distinguishing mark of the order Coniferæ, already so much removed from other vegetables in their structure, but I find that Raspail in his work, ^<4> mentions the fact of the pollen being geminate. I do not possess Lambert’s genus Pinus, ^<5> I should therefore be glad to know whether he figures this structure, or whether it is anywhere described – In order to view it properly the pollen must be warmed for some time in water, or other liquid (some acids answer best) and that will cause it to unfold its structure which in a dry state is quite collapsed, at least in my specimens collected a year ago.

The Pollen of the Tulip is accompanied by a three cornered scale like the calyptra of a moss, with 3 nerves running from the vertex to the angles – This scale according to Raspail originally encloses the globule of pollen; but I could not observe that, & I think it doubtful. –

I have noticed a singular fact, that in a basin of salt water which had been left undisturbed for several months, a plant has made its appearance, having the character of a marine conferva – It is of a dark colour, grows in a spreading tuft from a centre, which is attached to the side of the vessel, & under the microscope presents a mass of filaments of small diameter. Do you think it possible that the seeds of the plant could be latent in the salt which was employed? I mean to keep the plant growing for some time longer.

I consider that M^r Murray’s ^<6> recommendation of John Reid ^<7> is so strong that I have made up my mind to engage him, & request that you will inform him of it, since I have not his direction, and also will you have the goodness to return me the letter in which I mentioned the terms which I offered, or if you have not preserved it, I will write them again for J. Reid to signify his consent to the agreement to avoid mistakes, before he sets out on so long a journey.

Believe me Dear Sir Yours very truly
H. F. Talbot

I examined lately with a good microscope the green powder which grows on old yew leaves, and is identical with that which is seen on old palings (Lepraria botryoides) if I remember the name aright. This I found to consist of geminate green scales – Does this agree with any figure of it? I don’t know whether living leaves of vegetables are given in any author as a habitat for lichens, but perfect specimens of the latter are seen on the leaves of yew and of box.

D^r Hooker
Glasgow

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Notes:

1. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.

2. Prof Antoine Bertoloni (1793–1868), Italian botanist.

3. See especially Doc. No: 02816.

4. François Vincent Raspail (1794–1878), Observations and experiments tending to demonstrate that the granules which are discharged in the explosion of a grain of pollen … are not even organised bodies (Edinburgh; London: Blackwood; Cadell, 1829) (translated from French.

5. Aylmer Bourke Lambert (1761–1842), botanist, A description of the genus Pinus… (London: J. White, 1803–1824).

6. Stewart M Murray (1789-1858), first Curator of the Glasgow Botanic Gardens.

7. See Doc. No: 03223.