Glasgow.
May 11th 1836
My dear Sir
If you look into Nees von Esenbeck’s 1st Fasciculus of his “ Genera Plantarum Floræ Germanicæ iconibus et descriptionibus illustrata <1>”, in the figure of the Genus Pinus, you will find the Pollen represented very much as you describe it. <2> In the text it is said “ Pollen compositum, tricoccum; <3> (granula imperforata, membrana externa e pluribus segmentis, ligamentis conjunctis. Fritsche.).” This Fritsche, who is the authority for this latter sentence, is the author of a work “ de Plantarum polline. Berolini. 1833”, to which I have not access; but where I dare say you will find much curious matter on the subject of the Pollen. Nees von Esenbeck’s figure does not seem to represent the central vesicle as quite empty, but much more transparent than the lateral ones. I do not see that Lambert <4> or Richard notices this peculiar structure in the pollen of the Pines. Nor does Guillemin in his account of the Pollen given in the 2d vol. of the Mém. de la Soc. D’Hist. Nat. de Paris.
It will be curious to see what your little Conferva in Salt water is. (the water having been made salt artificially if I understand you right). There are some though very few species which are common to both salt & fresh-water.
The Lepraria botryoides (see Engl. Bot <5>. t. 2148) is composed of minute roundish granules more or less connected together & often in a beaded manner. Palmella botryoides, often confounded with this, is composed of longer granules often lobed, so as sometimes to appear as if one scale was placed upon another. This latter grows on the ground in peat-mosses: – the Lepraria on trunks of trees & pales.
Thank you for the letter from Bertoloni <6>. I have now letters within these few days from him at Bologna; from Gussone <7> at Naples; from Dr Santo Garovaglio <8> at Pavia, & from Jacquin <9> at Vienna: – & to all I wish to send parcels but I do not know how. Gussone too has a parcel ready for me, he does not know how to send it to England. Throughout the Continent they have no difficulty in sending parcels from one to another at a trifling expense. Here it is quite otherwise & I find it easier to send a packet to the very antipodes of the earth than to France or Italy.
I hope I am not taking too great a liberty in sending this under cover to your friend Mr Strangways. <10> Under his cover (but without any letter to me) came the other day some seeds marked “Hungarian From Mr Rochel”. Are they from you? & are they for the Botanic Garden?
Most faithfully Yours,
W. J. Hooker.
H. F. Talbot Esqre
31. Sackville street. <12>
Notes:
1. Theodor Friedrich Ludwig Nees von Esenbeck (1787–1837), Genera Plantarum Floræ Germanicæ iconibus et descriptionibus illustrata… (Bonn: Henry & Cohen, 1833–1860).
2. See Doc. No: 03250, to which this is the reply.
3. Pollen composite, three-lobed; with imperforate granules, an external membrane from several segments, ligaments conjoined.
4. Aylmer Bourke Lambert (1761–1842), botanist, A description of the genus Pinus … (London: J. White, 1803–1824).
5. Probably Hooker’s continuation [vols 4 & 5, Cryptogamia] of J E Smith, The English flora (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1824–1836).
6. Prof Antoine Bertoloni (1793–1868), Italian botanist.
7. Giovanni Gussone (1787–1866), Italian botanist.
8. Santo Garovaglio (1805–1882), Italian muscologist.
9. Prof Joseph Franz Frieherr von Jacquin (1766–1839), Austrian botanist.
10. William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways, 4th Earl of Ilchester (1795–1865), botanist, art collector & diplomat.
11. Not identifiable.
12. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.