Abominable mystery source

[margaret bolick]

The Evolution of Plants by D. H. Scott (copyright 1911) quotes (on page
37) that Darwin wrote Sir Joseph Hooker in 1879 saying "The rapid
development as far as we can judge of all the higher plants within
recent geological times is an abominable mystery."
P. Bolick, C. Messenger, and L. Rader, Botany and Paleobotany,
University of Nebraska State Museum