Autograph note signed by Francis Darwin about the shamrock, dated 1900

DARWIN, Francis (1848-1925). Autograph Postcard Signed, addressed to L. Cohen, 14 Balham Park Road, London SW. Camberley postmark, 7 July 1900.
 
115 x 90 mm postcard with manuscript message to the correspondence side and address panel to reverse, franked. Light handling wear, otherwise very good.
 
An interesting botanical note concerning the identity of the Irish shamrock. Responding to an enquiry, Darwin cites Prior's Popular Names of British Plants and explains that "Shamrock means in Gaelic a small trefoil". He continues by observing that it is "impossible to say that it is any particular species of Trifolium", adding that "Dutch clover is commonly sold as shamrock". The note touches upon a long-standing botanical question, namely the precise plant represented by Ireland's national emblem.
 
Francis Darwin (1848-1925), botanist and son of Charles Darwin, was a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and a leading authority on plant physiology.  A desirable Francis Darwin autograph with scientific content relating to the identification of the shamrock.