Albury, 15. January 1854.
Sir
I have the honor to inform you for communication to his Excellency the Governor, that since my last report, (dated Mount Sturgeon 22. Nov. 1853)1 I continued my journey along the Victoria-ranges and part of the Grampians near to Mount Zero, proceeding thence to the Avoca-river, to Lake Lalbert and the Murray. I arrived at Swan hill on the 7th of December, following thence the Murray down as far as the junction of the Darling, from which point I returned proceeding up to Albury where I this day arrived. Various parts of the Mallee scrub as well as Mount Hope have been by deviations explored. The distances traversed since my departure amount to no less than 1300 miles.
With some surprise I observed in the Mallee deserts not only an accumulation of species belonging to the lower Murray-vegetation, but even many of those, which I previously discovered in the stepps2 around Lake Torrens, at an latitude many degrees higher north. Therefore, even if quite destitute of productions of her own, our Flora would be considered extremly rich alone on account of the remarkable consociation of plants from New South Wales, South Australia and Van Diemens land, offering at least in many instances a richdom of genera, where species are sparingly distributed.
Particular notice deserve amongst the new addition, which the latter part of this journey yielded, Myoporum platycarpum, from the stem of which a saccharine matter is exuding, — a small species of Melon, as bitter as the officinal Colocynth, — an extremly beautiful and yet undescribed bush of Myrtaceae (to be named Scariomyrtus hexamera), forming a most singular genus in the series of this order, and a species of Fusanus, the rootbark of which the natives are using extensively roasted as an amylaceous food, whereas the infusion of it may be used as an wholesome tea.
The number of species, by which the Victoria-Flora, since my last report, has been enriched amounts to 221 species, adding 63 genera and six natural orders (Papaveraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Cneoreae, Nitrariaceae, Orobancheae and Eriocauloneae). This amount of species, advancing my index to about 1500 species, comprises the following genera: Melaleuca, Patersonia, Chapelliera, Conospermum, Boronia, Isoetopsis, Scariomyrtus, Prostanthera, Hypolaena, Thysanotus, Banksia, Lhotzkya, Eriostemon, Astroloma, Helipterum, Pratia, Casuarina, Eucalyptus, Comesperma, Acacia, Stipa, Solanum, Sida, Leptorrhynchus, Goodenia, Eclipta, Calymmophora,3 Spergularia, Salsola, Tetrachaeta, Ixiolaena, Rhagodia, Angianthus, Podolepis, Pogonolepis, Choretrum, Kochia, Trichinium, Galium, Kentropsis, Myoporum, Brassiaea, Halgania, Hyalosperma, Pomaderris, Prostanthera, Hakea, Eurybia, Grevillea, Aristida, Heterodendron, Nitraria, Stenochilus, Dodonaea, Atriplex, Cassia, Exocarpus, Ethulia, Meniocus, Plantago, Daviesia, Scirpus, Brachycome, Morgania, Cyperus, Zygophyllum, Orobanche, Heliotropium, Duttonia, Eriochlamys, Chrysodiscus, Teucrium, Erysimum, Callistemon, Villarsia, Phebalium, Beyera, Lasiopetalum, Pteropogon, Obione, Rhytidosis, Craspedia, Osteocarpum, Cheiroloma, Sentis, Scleranthus, Halothamnus, Pimelea, Logania, Siemsenia,4 Ricinocarpus, Eriothalamus,5 Pappophorum, Hakea, Calotis, Monoploca, Gratiola, Panicum, Therogeron, Sphaeromorphaea, Leucopogon, Waitzia, Poa, Trachycaryon, Muehlenbeckia, Velleya, Dampiera, Trymalium, Psoralea, Polycalymma, Xerotes, Sclerolaena, Lepidium, Blitum, Riccia, Cucumis, Drosera, Cassinia, Trichanthodium, Eriochiton, Elachanthus, Carpha, Eremophila, Chrysocoryne, Anisacantha, Dysphania, Glinus, Biatora, Cladonia, Andropogon, Mesembryanthemum, Pholidiopsis?, Phyllanthus, Ammannia, Euphorbia, Najas, Chara, Swainsona, Tricoryne, Callistemon, Tribulus, Papaver, Eriocaulon, Abildgaardia?, Hypnum, Vallisneria, Lycianthus,6 and a genus of Amaranthaceae & Euphorbiaceae, unknown to me and finally a genus of Proteaceae seemingly distinct from Grevillea.
It is my intention to resume instantly my journey along the Mitta-Mitta to the Gibbo-range and thence to Omeo and the Bogong-mountains.
Should the winter not too early approach, I desire to pursue my course into the alpine country farther to Mount Wellington, devoting also some time to the perlustration of the Mitchell-river.
I have to deplore, that in consequence of a partial robbery of my travelling-equipment, I did not quite as early arrive here on the outskirts of the alps, as I desired, and that I am deprived of my attendent,7 who has been summoned to the Criminal session for February at Bendigo, in order to give his evidence as a witness in the case alluded to.8
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
your most obedient and humble servant
Ferd. Mueller.
The honorable, the Colonial-Secretary
Melbourne.9
Abildgaardia
Acacia
Amaranthaceae
Ammannia
Andropogon
Angianthus
Anisacantha
Aristida
Astroloma
Atriplex
Banksia
Beyera
Biatora
Blitum
Boronia
Brachycome
Brassiaea
Callistemon
Calotis
Calymmophora
Carpha
Cassia
Cassinia
Casuarina
Chapelliera
Chara
Cheiroloma
Choretrum
Chrysocoryne
Chrysodiscus
Cladonia
Cneoreae
Comesperma
Conospermum
Craspedia
Cucumis
Cucurbitaceae
Cyperus
Dampiera
Daviesia
Dodonaea
Drosera
Duttonia
Dysphania
Eclipta
Elachanthus
Eremophila
Eriocaulon
Eriocauloneae
Eriochiton
Eriochlamys
Eriostemon
Eriothalamus
Erysimum
Ethulia
Eucalyptus
Euphorbia
Euphorbiaceae
Eurybia
Exocarpus
Fusanus
Galium
Glinus
Goodenia
Gratiola
Grevillea
Hakea
Halgania
Halothamnus
Heliotropium
Helipterum
Heterodendron
Hyalosperma
Hypnum
Hypolaena
Isoetopsis
Ixiolaena
Kentropsis
Kochia
Lasiopetalum
Lepidium
Leptorrhynchus
Leucopogon
Lhotzkya
Logania
Lycianthus
Melaleuca
Meniocus
Mesembryanthemum
Monoploca
Morgania
Muehlenbeckia
Myoporum
Myoporum platycarpum
Myrtaceae
Najas
Nitraria
Nitrariaceae
Obione
Orobanche
Orobancheae
Osteocarpum
Panicum
Papaver
Papaveraceae
Pappophorum
Patersonia
Phebalium
Pholidiopsis
Phyllanthus
Pimelea
Plantago
Poa
Podolepis
Pogonolepis
Polycalymma
Pomaderris
Pratia
Prostanthera
Proteaceae
Psoralea
Pteropogon
Rhagodia
Rhytidosis
Riccia
Ricinocarpus
Salsola
Scariomyrtus hexamera
Scirpus
Scleranthus
Sclerolaena
Sentis
Sida
Siemsenia
Solanum
Spergularia
Sphaeromorphaea
Stenochilus
Stipa
Swainsona
Tetrachaeta
Teucrium
Therogeron
Thysanotus
Trachycaryon
Tribulus
Trichanthodium
Trichinium
Tricoryne
Trymalium
Vallisneria
Velleya
Villarsia
Waitzia
Xerotes
Zygophyllum
Please cite as “FVM-54-01-15,” 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/54-01-15