From G. A. W. Arnott 25 April 1836

My dear Sir,

Perhaps you may be astonished at hearing from me again so soon after my last, but is how one wishes a favour, they ought at least to ask it, and such is my case.

I presume you are aware that in addition to Indian plants my attention has been more specially directed of late years to Chilian, Peruvian and Buenosayrean plants including those, when they could be had from the part of Americas still further to the south, and that D^r Hooker and I in several papers have described a good many new species, as also that at present we are in the midst of the Compositae, only part of which [illeg.] is yet published. The other day I received from D^r Hooker a packet of addenda, which he wished me to examine and insert into our paper - this I found to consist principally of specimens from you of plants collected in the Falkland Isles (Ils Malovia) and at Cape Horn - now although I do possess some two or three further forms - country, given me by the French navigators I met in Paris in 1825, yet they they are miserably few, and I have none whatever from Cape Horn or the Straits of Magellan and although I have no objection to describe or assist in describing such as I see only in D^r Hooker's herbarium, yet as our papers are understood to be by us both conjointly it certainly is desirable that my own collection be as complete as possible in order that reference may be made also to it in case, which is possible, that our two herbaria be one day removed to a much greater distance than at present. I by no means mean to ask for a complete set, such as you give to D^r Hooker, because he is an old friend of yours, while I am scarcely acquainted personally and have no claims whatever on you further than that next to D^r Hooker's my herbarium is I believe the most extensive in Scotland. But with regard to the compositae (the only part of your S. American distribution, I have seen I may mention) those which particularly interest me and which I should wish to have if you have not already given away all your duplicates. But perhaps you may wish to have a list of all that I have examined and to those I shall prefix an asterisk (*) to those I do not possess, and two or more asterisks to such as I am most anxious to have, whether from not having the genus at all, or that they belong to groups of a genus that I am almost unacquainted with.

• * 310 [illeg.] n. sp.
• * 311 Perezia (Cf stenophyllum), near P. Beckii [illeg.]
• 312 Chuquirraga oppositifolia Don, var.
• * 313 Panargyrium spinosum (beautiful specimen)
• ** 314 Perezia n. sp. - different from all the described sections.
• * 315 Perezia n. sp.? near Magellanica, or perhaps a var. of that plant - specimen [illeg.]
• 317 Zinnia - the specimen was bad - apparently one of the common species
• 318 Tagetes coronopifolia
• 319 Gutierrhezia linearifolia γ Don. HSA. auct.
• * 321 Chiliotrichum rosmarinifolium Lep. - or rather it is intermediate between it and Ch. amelloides Lep.
• * 322 Baccharis - female - perhaps the fem. of no. 326
• * 323 Lepidophyllum cupressinum Cass
• * 324 Acanthophyllum! n. sp. - perhaps also it is Triachone pygmaea (aff, but that if so, the pappus is all described)
• * 325 Gochnitia (Cf nardophyllum) revoluta, var? vel n. sp. (when I described this I had only seen the unexpanded capitulum, so that char. given requires some alteration. I suspect it to be a n. gen.
• * 326 Baccharis magellanica Pers. male
• ** 327 & 328 Mastigophorus Gaudichaudi Cass
• 329 Chuquirraga erinacea
• 332 Gnaphalium - sp. - perhaps a bad specimen of Gn. citrinum Hse
• 333 Gnaphalium spicatum Lam. - perhaps also Gn. consanguineum Guad. in Ann. Sc. Nat.
• 334 Gnaphalium citrinum var.
• 336 & 338 Salsola apargioides varietatis - hic [illeg.] trabenda Hypochaeris arenaria Gerard. in Ann. Sc. Nat.
• 342 Sonchus oleraceus var.
• * 346 Lagenophora hirsuta Less (if that species be distinct from L. [illeg.]
• * 347 Seriola - vix var. S. apargioides
• 349 Luria nutans
• 350 Senecio Candollianum H & A auct.
• 351 Senecio subulatus H & A auct.
• * 352 Vernonia apparently quite a n. sp.
• 353 Molina viscosa H & A
• 354 Solidago odora δ H & A
• * 355 Leuchaeria (cf Lasiorhiza) near purpurea.
• 355 Macrorhynchus chilensis Less. } Perhaps one of these numbers is wrong, and that one is 335. The Macrorhyncus is in fruit with a long white pappus, & long beak to the fruit.
• 356 Baccharis concava var.?: it is probably what is meant by Guadichaud as B. tridendata Pers. (see Ann. Sc. Nat. V p.103.)
• * 358 Senecio n. sp.
• * 359 Senecio n. sp.
• 360 Mikania trinervis H & A
• * 362 Senecio n. sp.
• 363 Baccharis subulata Don
• 364 Senecio vulgaris
• * 366 Senecio n. sp.
• * 367 Senecio n. sp.
• * 368 Senecio n. sp.
• ** 369 Perezia (cf Drogia) n. sp. - near P. pedicularifolia Fess, but the lobes of the leaves ciliate as in P. virens.
• * 370 Senecio n. sp.
• * 373 Vernonia - very like V. cinerea from the E. Indies - perhaps introduced.
• 374 Ageratum conyzoides
• ** 376 Leuchaeria (cf Lasiorhiza Lag.) - perhaps the true L. Purpurea/Chabraea purpurea Don
• 377 Eupatorium glaechonophyllum Less.
• ** 378 - n. gen of Verbesineae - Capitulum radiata: Rhachis bractiolata, Achenium angulatum, disco tetraquetrum, radio triquetrum, paleis pluribus brevibus inlibus coronatum. Styli semi exappendiculati.
• 379 Baccharis tenella H & A? Bad specimen.
• * 380 Senecio n. sp.
• * 381 Senecio sp. (perhaps Cineraria trifurca spr.?)
• 382 Bidens odorata
• 383 Grindelia foliolosa H & A. auct. var - vix sp. distincta
• * 385 Erigeron n. sp.
• * 386 Senecio n. sp.
• * 388 Senecio n. sp.
• 389 & 390 Aster Gilesei H & A auct. - it is also, I now suspect, Erigeron Vahlii Geni ann. Sc. Nat. V. P. 103
• * 391 Leuchaeria (cf Cassiopeia) - n. sp.
• * 392 Senecio - n. sp. S. pectinato Gill. affinis
• 393 Erigeron canadensis var?
• * 394 Erigeron - n. sp.
• 395 Bahia ambrosioides Lag.
• * 396 Senecio - sp. S. leptophylla H & A not affinis
• * 397 Baccharis to me unknown
• * 398 Senecio n. sp.
• 483 Leptinella? ambigua H & A auct.

of these there are eleven that I am anxious to get, & of these there are four I am most desirous of - viz. 321, 323, 325, & 327 or 328. Of these without any asterisk I have already specimens though not from the same locality.

Although however I have been so presumptuous as a. apply for these Compositae yet I have no doubt but among the other plants from the same country, there must be much that I have not yet seen and if of them or of plants you distribute from any other place abroad, you would in general keep in recollection that such a person as your humble servant exists, I would esteem it a particular favour. You may probably think me begging too much when I have little or nothing to give in return - but I can promise one thing, that what you do give shall not be allowed to be idle in my cabinets. I care for specimens unless I am to make use of them.

Now as this letter is wholly a petition in my own behalf, I would have paid the postage, but from the tone of a late letter from you, I fear you will not give me thanks for doing so: & I shall therefore send it off allowing you to have that honor.

Believe me yours very truly

G. Walker Arnott