To John Foster   15 January 1854

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

 
See M to J. Foster, 23 November 1853.
steppes?
Not found in IPNI.
Siemssenia?
Not found in IPNI
Lycianthes?
Carl Wilhelmi.
Sandhurst Court of Petty Sessions, Wednesday 1 February 1854: 'The prisoner [George Parker] was then arraigned on another charge of having stolen a revolver, a leather case, some boxes of medicines, a thermometer, and other articles, the property of Carl Wilhelming and Doctor Muller, from Mr. Coghill's station. The articles were taken by the prisoner when he took the horse from the station. From the evidence of George Perkins and Carl Wilhelming, it appeared that the former, when he apprehended the prisoner, found the articles produced in his possession, which the latter identified as belonging to himself and Dr. Muller. They were on an exploring journey in the interior, and had left the articles in question at Mr. Coghill's station. The jury, after having retired for a few minutes, returned a verdict of guilty, and the Chairman sentenced the prisoner to hard labor on the roads for three years, the period of punishment to commence at the expiry of the former sentence.' (Argus, 8 February 1854, p. 5).
M's letter was forwarded to Lieut. Governor La Trobe on 21 January 1854.

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