BACKGROUND AND AIMS The study of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) in plants has a long history, dating back to the 4th century BC. Its existence was widely acknowledged by the end of the 18th century, although systematic and experimental studies commenced only a century later. However, the historiography of ITV has many gaps, especially with regards to early observations and visual documents. This note is a contribution to help fill one of those gaps. METHODS The botanical works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), a German writer and naturalist, were subjected to close reading. This included all publications and unpublished sources related to botany between 1785 and 1832 (e.g. notes, drafts, diaries, letters, drawings). This material is accessible in the multi-volume historical-critical edition of Goethe's studies in natural science ("Leopoldina-Ausgabe"). KEY RESULTS A diary entry from 9 September 1786 described changes in leaf morphology along an elevation gradient in the Bavarian Alps. The leaves of an unidentified species of willow (Spix sp.) and gentian (Gentiana sp.), respectively, were said to become narrower with increasing elevation; leaves also stood further apart on twigs, and the latter became thinner. A crude drawing of two willow twigs illustrated the differences. Goethe conjectured that the differences were due to environmental conditions. CONCLUSIONS Goethe's notes were anecdotal, and it is unclear whether the observed plant individuals actually belonged to the same species. Nevertheless, the notes represent an early and clear articulation of the hypothesis that changes to environmental conditions can cause ITV in a natural plant population. The drawing may be the earliest visual record of environmentally-mediated plant ITV in the wild.

中文翻译：

---

1786 年的柳树画：对植物种内性状变异的最早描述？

背景和目的 植物种内性状变异 (ITV) 的研究历史悠久，可以追溯到公元前 4 世纪。它的存在在 18 世纪末得到广泛承认，尽管系统和实验研究仅在一个世纪后才开始。然而，ITV 的历史编纂有许多空白，尤其是在早期观察和视觉文件方面。本说明有助于填补其中一个空白。方法 仔细阅读德国作家和博物学家约翰·沃尔夫冈·冯·歌德（Johann Wolfgang von Goethe，1749-1832 年）的植物学著作。这包括 1785 年至 1832 年间与植物学相关的所有出版物和未发表的资料（例如笔记、草稿、日记、信件、图画）。该材料可在歌德的多卷历史评论版中获得 s 自然科学研究（“Leopoldina-Ausgabe”）。主要结果 1786 年 9 月 9 日的一篇日记描述了巴伐利亚阿尔卑斯山沿海拔梯度的叶片形态变化。据称，一种不明的柳树（Spix sp.）和龙胆（Gentiana sp.）的叶子随着海拔的升高而变得更窄。树枝上的叶子也分得更远了，后者变得更细了。两根柳树枝的粗略图说明了差异。歌德推测，差异是由于环境条件造成的。结论 歌德的笔记是轶事，尚不清楚观察到的植物个体是否实际上属于同一物种。尽管如此，这些笔记代表了一个假设的早期和清晰的表达，即环境条件的变化会导致天然植物种群中的 ITV。这幅画可能是野外环境介导的植物 ITV 最早的视觉记录。