Item data
Item Type:
Document
From:
Talbot, William Henry Fox
Sent from:
London
To:
Smith, Sir James Edward
Sent to location:
Lowestoft, Suffolk
Summary:
Delaying his Ionian flora paper for Linnean Society until next spring as expects to go to Paris soon. Frustrated by botanical travellers who do not mention in their "Floras" what plants chiefly abound in a district; it is not the few rare flowers that characterise a region's vegetation. Lists the plants that are strikingly abundant on Corfu: 'Phlomis fruticosa'; 'Asphodelus ramosus'; 'Ornithogalum exscapum' Tenore, thinks it the 'Ornithogalum nanum' Sibthorp; 'Geranium umbrosum' Tenore; 'Scilla maritima'; 'Lycopsis variegata'; 'Scrophularia peregrina'; 'Phalaris [ariculata]'. On island of Zante: 'Salvia triloba'; 'Hedysarum humile'; 'Hedysarum caput-galli'; 'Chrysanthemum coronarium'; 'Cynara humilis'?; 'Anthericum graecum'; 'Poterium spinosum'; and 'Cistus salicifolius'.
Has discovered two varieties that may be new species: a 'Lithospermum orientale' which on Corfu always has white flowers, and 'Trifolium stellatum', which elsewhere has pink flowers but on Corfu bright yellow. Found specimen of 'Cytinus hypocistis', it resembles a wax model more than a living plant. An 'Umbelliferae' on Zante with a triangular stem, [Antonio] Bertoloni calls it 'Laserpitium triquetrum'. 'Staehelina chamaepeuce' grows on cliffs on Zante. Did not see 'Veronica chamaedrys' on Corfu but a 'Veronica' very like it. Also found two "very singular" 'Euphorbia', one described by [Felix de Avellar] Brotero [(1744-1828)] as 'Euphorbia [pterococca]' and 'Euphorbia sexangularis' by Sprengel, the other would have been new but it was discovered by [Giovanni] Gussone [(1787-1866)] in Sicily last year.
Letter date:
31 Aug 1826
Languages:
English
Prev Ref No:
10.25
Additional Information:
Note type | Note |
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Finding Aids | Dawson, W R, (1934). "Catalogue of the manuscripts in the Library of The Linnean Society - Part I. The Smith papers: The correspondence and miscellaneous papers of Sir James Edward Smith", London: Linnean Society. |
Related Material | Talbot's 'Flora of Corfu' MSS is in Bentham, G, (1832-1836). "Labiatarum, genera et species ..." London: Ridgway, p.742. |
Publn Note | Online transcription of this letter and others between Talbot and Smith, including Smith's replies, available at http://www.foxtalbot.dmu.ac.uk/letters/name.php?bcode=Smit-JE&pageNo=0. |