To William Lonsdale   22 February 1853

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

 
Later Beechworth, Vic.
Calycothrix?
James Clow.
editorial addition— MS damaged. All square brackets in the rest of the letter have this meaning.
Mt Buffalo, Vic.
Lieut. Governor La Trobe commented on M's report, 1 March 1853: 'read with interest thank him & give him all encourgt'.

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 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/53-02-22