28 
ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Then another Darwin will come, will gather loose strands floating in the 
wind and will weave from them a new system, once more binding nature 
studies into one and providing a safe platform, whence men may start 
anew to fathom the unknown by means of the known. 
DARWIN AND BOTANY. 
By Dr. Nathaniel Lord Britton. 
Considering the fact that Charles Darwin disclaimed the title of botanist, 
his contributions to the knowledge of plant life and its phenomena were 
certainly extraordinary. His investigations extended over a great range 
of topics, at one time or another practically covering the whole field of 
botanical research. In repeatedly stating that he was not a botanist, he 
evidently meant to imply that he was not a systematist, and it is true that his 
knowledge of plant taxonomy was the least of his scientific acquirements. 
In his first letter to Dr. Asa Gray, written in 1855, which was the commence¬ 
ment of a long correspondence, he almost apologized for asking questions! 
During that year he became keenly interested, however, in knowing more 
about the kinds of plants growing wild in the vicinity of his home, and in a 
letter to Dr. Hooker he complains about the dreadful difficulty of naming 
plants, though he apparently became quite enthusiastic in this pursuit and 
advised Dr. Hooker, “If ever you catch quite a beginner and want to give 
him a taste of botany, tell him to make a perfect list of some little field or 
wood.” The facts just stated seem to indicate the extent of his taxonomic 
studies. He accepted, for the most part, the names of plants which he 
studied from the determinations of others. 
Darwin was attracted to observations of natural objects as a young 
boy and he early considered plants; his juvenile collections were ento¬ 
mological, and his earlier investigations were mainly zoological and geolo¬ 
gical. As a pupil of Professor Henslow at Cambridge University he at¬ 
tended botanical lectures and took part in field excursions; he greatly 
enjoyed the field work, and from it his inspiration for investigation was 
doubtless derived. 
As naturalist of the voyage around the world of the ship Beagle (1831- 
1836) his collections of plants made in South America and on the islands of 
the Pacific Ocean, and his observations upon the botanical features of the 
countries visited, contributed greatly to the knowledge of the flora of those 
regions. They were extensively utilized by Dr. Hooker in his “Flora 
Antarctica” and in his “Flora of the Galapagos Archipelago,” as well as 
