May day hills,1 22. Febr. 1853.
Sir,
I have the honor to inform you for communication to his Excellency the Governor, that I arrived here with Mr Dallachi's party on the 20th inst., after a journey somewhat protracted by the necessity of resting our horses for several days on the Broken river, which time was employed in examining the plants of the surrounding Granit-ranges.
By deviations from the road, where-ever the country appeared favourable for our pursuits, I succeeded in adding about 80 species of plants to my flora of this colony, advancing the whole number to about 830. The new additions belong to the following genera: Hydrocotyle, Chara, Calocephalus, Freirea, Polypogon, Vulpia, Juncus, Lepidosperma, Myriogyne, Sphaeromorphaea, Anthoceros, Lobelia, Mentha, Polygonum, Mazus, Chapelliera, Glyceria, Persoonia (an arborescent sp.), Hibbertia, Leptospermum, Cuscuta, Isolepis, Glossogyne, Pennisetum, Acacia, Pultenaea, Goodenia, Eucalyptus, Isotoma, Calycotrix,2 Bulbine, Eurybia, Haloragis, Grevillea, Prostanthera, Cenomyce, Pleurandra, Dodonaea, Dillwynia, Panicum, Cyperus, Chrysocephalum, Psoralea, Veronica, Indigofera, Agrostis, Umbilicaria, Eragrostis, Asterotriche, Mirbelia, Gompholobium, Tetratheca, Leucopogon, Callitris Boronia and a new genus of Sapoteae.
Undoubtedly a large number of them is entirely unknown yet, many are ornamental, of which Mr Dallachi partly procured the seeds for the bot. garden and as principly remarkable may be considered a species of Isotoma of not less powerful acridity than in the celebrated Lobelia inflata of North-America and a very balsamic Dodonaea, most likely of medical effect.
After a deliberation with Mr Commissioner Smyth and Mr Subcommissioner Clow3 I determined to direct at first my course with Mr Dallichi's par[ty]4 to the Buffaloe ranges,5 with a view of obtaining, if possible, living alpine plan[ts] for the bot. Garden, and after these hav[e] been dispatched with our cart to proceed to some of the remoter ranges as far as the advanced season permittes and endeavour to return round Gipp's land to Melbourne.
With regard to the general character of the vegetation I might add, that I observed a decided tendency to the prevalence of the Leguminous order, which very unlikely to its distribution through South Australia approximates its phytogeographical position very much to that in which it presents itself in West-Australia, whilst the special character of the whole bears a greater similarity to that of N.S. Wales, than V. Diemens Land.
I have the honor, Sir,
to be your most obedient and humble servant.
Ferd. Mueller.
The honorable the Colonial Secretary.6
Acacia
Agrostis
Anthoceros
Asterotriche
Boronia
Bulbine
Callitris
Calocephalus
Calycotrix
Cenomyce
Chapelliera
Chara
Chrysocephalum
Cuscuta
Cyperus
Dillwynia
Dodonaea
Dodonaea
Eragrostis
Eucalyptus
Eurybia
Freirea
Glossogyne
Glyceria
Gompholobium
Goodenia
Grevillea
Haloragis
Hibbertia
Hydrocotyle
Indigofera
Isolepis
Isotoma
Juncus
Lepidosperma
Leptospermum
Leucopogon
Lobelia
Mazus
Mentha
Mirbelia
Myriogyne
Panicum
Pennisetum
Persoonia
Pleurandra
Polygonum
Polypogon
Prostanthera
Psoralea
Pultenaea
Sapoteae.
Sphaeromorphaea
Tetratheca
Umbilicaria
Veronica
Vulpia
Please cite as “FVM-53-02-22,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 13 December 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/53-02-22