The Origin of Species · Character

De Candolle

A veteran botanist whose world-spanning study of oaks admits, with disarming honesty, that species boundaries dissolve the better we know them.

supporting

Also known as De Candolle, Alph . de Candolle, de Candolle, the elder De Candolle, Alph . De Candolle, Alph, The elder De Candolle

First appearance: i variation under domestication

As a supporting figure in The Origin of Species, De Candolle is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Noted for showing that plants with wide ranges often produce varieties.

In the storyII: Variation Under NatureOpen this moment free

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De Candolle brings the authority of a lifetime's labor on the oaks of the whole world, and his conclusion is unexpectedly destabilizing: the best-known species show the most varieties, and intermediate forms flow in as knowledge grows. He is the elder statesman who, without intending to, supplies Darwin with evidence that species are not fixed, well-defined units. His admission that two-thirds of oak species are doubtful gives the theory a foothold in mainstream botany, and his numerical care makes the argument harder to wave away.

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See De Candolle in i variation under domestication

Character Web

8 connections

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Relationship types

Professional
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Character groups

Broad intellectual network
Protagonist
Hybridization experimenters

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Relationships

Charles Darwin
professional · positive
Darwin referenced De Candolle's work on plant geography and the struggle for existence in… How this plays out →

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See De Candolle in i variation under domestication

In the story

De Candolle appears across 15 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II: Variation Under Nature
Noted for showing that plants with wide ranges often produce varieties.
Doubtful Species
His memoir on oaks is discussed, showing that even the best-known species have many varieties and that specific limits are often doubtful.
Wide-Ranging, Much Diffused, and Common Species Vary Most
Showed that plants with wide ranges generally present varieties.
III: Struggle for Existence
Cited as having shown that all organic beings are exposed to severe competition.
Divergence of Character
Alph. de Candolle's work on naturalisation is referenced, noting that floras gain proportionally more new genera than new species through naturalisation.
Convergence of Character
Alph. de Candolle showed that widely spreading species tend to spread very widely, supplanting others.
Correlated Variation
Mentioned for founding main divisions in Umbelliferae on seed shape differences, and for noting that winged seeds are never found in fruits that do not open.
On the Absence or Rarity of Transitional Varieties
Cited for observations on the abrupt disappearance of alpine species.
Means of Dispersal
Mentioned regarding the restricted ranges of plants with large seeds or fruit.
Alternate Glacial Periods in the North and South
Mentioned for his insistence on the preponderant migration from north to south in Australia.
Geographical Distribution—Continued
Discussed in relation to the law that lower groups of organisms range more widely, as observed in plants.
Freshwater Productions
Referenced for remarks on the wide range of aquatic plants and the distribution of Nelumbium.
On the Inhabitants of Oceanic Islands
Cited for admitting that oceanic islands have fewer plant species than continental areas, and for noting that trees generally have confined ranges.
On the Relations of the Inhabitants of Islands to Those of the Nearest Mainland
Referenced regarding the wide range of lower organisms and the distribution of naturalized species.
On the Nature of the Affinities Connecting Organic Beings
The elder De Candolle made similar observations on the general nature of affinities in distinct families of plants.

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See De Candolle in i variation under domestication

See De Candolle in II: Variation Under Nature