William Hugh GOWER

William Hugh Gower was for many years a prolific writer on horticultural subjects, chiefly Orchids, his contribution to the Garden Magazine being perhaps most valuable. He was joint author with J Britten FLS, of a small work entitled Orchids for Amateurs; he also assisted B S Williams and Sons in the preparation of their various publications. He was for some years foreman in the Orchid and Fern Departments at Kew, leaving in 1865. He formed a collection of dried specimens and pictures of garden plants of all kinds, which after his death was purchased and shared by Kew and the Edinburgh Botanic Garden.

His Letter to Charles Darwin on fertilisation of Victoria regia:

Kew.

Nov. 23. 1861

To Mr. Darwin

Sir

Having mentioned to Dr. Hooker a few notes which I had made upon the fertilization of the Victoria regia in these Gardens this Summer,(f1) he expresed a wish to send you word concerning it, but I fear notes so brief will be of little service to you, though from them I am led to believe that for the production of great quantities of seeds the Stigma must be impregnated with foreign pollen. 1st I noticed flowers left to impregnate themselves and they produced from 20 to 30 seeds in each Capsule, those flowers which I fertilized with their own pollen produced from 60 to 80 seeds in each Capsule, but one flower which was fertilized with the pollen of another flower though upon the same Plant, produced the immense number of 251 seeds quite perfect, but I cannot say if there would have been any perceptible difference in the Plants from these seeds and I shall not be able to come to any conclusion as they have unfortunately been mixed

I remain Sir Most | respectfully | Wm. Hugh Gower

Footnotes

f1

Gower was a foreman at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Victoria regia (V. amazonica), the giant waterlily, had flowered for the first time at Kew in 1850.

f2

The annotation refers to chapter three of CD's big book' on species entitled On the possibility of all organic beings occasionally crossing' (Natural selection, pp. 35--91).

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