Ovens-river,1 9th March 1853
Sir
I do myself the honor to inform you, for communication to his Excellency the Governor, that I reached Mount Aberdeen in the Buffalo ranges on the 25th of February and that since that time Mr Dallachy and myself have been travelling through this mountains in various directions to examine and collect its botanical productions. We adscended two of the highest points of the ranges, which however yielded not so many new plants as we expected, perhaps because the altitude of the summits exceeds appearently not 4000! The prevalent rocks are Granit and Slate, many Quartz veins were also seen.
I added since my last report from May-days hills2 nearly 50 species to my Flora of this province; as remarkable amongst them I might record a species of Baeckea, which for its similarity in flavor and taste to Lemon and some aromatic peculiarity proved to be useful for a wholesome and by no means disagreable tea. The bark leaves and fruits of the Tasmania3 I have no doubt form a good surroga[te] for the Wintera bark of Tierra del Fuego. The principle ornamental plants are a high Correa, and a Grevillea surpassing in size and splendour all others of this colony. The other new plants belong to the following genera: Leptospermum, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Euryomyrtus, Hibbertia, Panicum, Melaleuca, Boronia, Osmunda, Pomax, Grimmia, Lomotia,4 Billardiera, Bauera, Prostanthera, Drosera, Baeckea, Pultenaea, Lysinema, Comosperma, Lepidosperma, Sphagnum, Leptinella, Agaricus, Loranthus, Asplenium, Cryptandra, Westringia, Logania, Persoonia, Cyperus, Isolepis, Nothochlaena, Psoralea[,]5 Thesium and an unknown genus of Borragineae and Umbelliferae.
With regard to Phytogeographia I observed a remarkable increase of the myrtaceous order during the later part of our journey.
As the season is already so far advanced and the state of our horses made it impossible to extend our journey to the higher alpine country, Mr Dallachi thought it advisable, to return now in a streight direction homeward, intending to procure like of the new Grevillea and Correa or some of the other ornamental plants living specimens for the botanic garden, whilst I proceed to Mount Buller alone and thence I will endeavour to return through Gipps land, hoping that this plan will meet with his Excellencys approval.
All those specimens, which have been collected on the way to May-days hill6 have been entrusted to the care of Mr Commisioner Clow,7 to be forwarded to his Excellency the Governor.
It remains yet to state, that we met on the Buffaloe ranges Mr Barnett, by whom this part of the country is surveyed, and I am only doing justice to this gentleman, when I acknowledge his readiness to guide us to the peak of Mount Aberdeen, the first adscent ever made of this mountain.
I have the honor, Sir, to be
your most obedient and humblest servant
Dr. Ferd Mueller,
Government-botanist
The honorable, the Colonial Secretary.8
Acacia
Agaricus
Asplenium
Baeckea
Bauera
Billardiera
Boronia
Borragineae
Comosperma
Correa
Cryptandra
Cyperus
Drosera
Eucalyptus
Euryomyrtus
Grevillea
Grimmia
Hibbertia
Isolepis
Lepidosperma
Leptinella
Leptospermum
Logania
Lomotia
Loranthus
Lysinema
Melaleuca
Nothochlaena
Osmunda
Panicum
Persoonia
Pomax
Prostanthera
Psoralea
Pultenaea
Sphagnum
Tasmania
Thesium
Umbelliferae
Westringia
Wintera
Please cite as “FVM-53-03-09,” 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 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/53-03-09