To William Hooker   27 May 1854

Botanic Garden, Melbourne

27. May 1854

Sir William,

The departure of a gentleman, who evinced much interest in our garden, to East India "per Madras" and thence home to England offers me the agreable opportunity of addressing to you at least a few hasty lines and the manuscripts of — the descriptions of some species, either discovered in my last expedition or formerly in South Australia. Unfortunately my collections from the Snowy mountains have up to this date not yet arrived in Melbourne, otherwise I would have sent at least your share of seeds.

From Dr Sonder I received at lenght his notes on my Compositae¹ which bear the stamp of a very careful investigation and it has been gratifiying to me to observe, that Turczaninow and Asa Gray recognised with me the same genera independently from each other. On Isoetopsis, Anthocerastes, Stuartina I had bestowed my own appellations and as here wisely my synonymas (partly from 1848!) have been suppressed, I was so much more disagreably surprised, to see even such reappear in print, which I had long ago after a better acquaintance with the species abolished.² Many remarks were lost with the Manuscript in the wreck of the "Sir Rob Peel"³ and this was the reason too, that in a later sendcommunication, when I was not aware of the loss, Klanderia & Microlepidium appear in the Linnaea without decription of the genera!⁴ Certainly an unpardonable mistake of Dr Sonder, that he not omitted them, nor explained the circumstance. In Chrysocephalum I fully coincide in Dr Hookers opinion, that all the species of Steetz can be comprehended in two, with herbaceous and perennial [stem]. Chrysoc. pterochaetum is however difficult in its broad pappus. Pleiogyne is certainly a superfluous genus. Brachycome melanocarpa is perennial. Cassinia and Ozothamnus appear to me to be subgenera of one natural genus, so also Swammerdamia. Haeckeria approaches much more to Humea than to these. Steiroglossa & Pacquerina ought, I think, to be conferred to Brachycome.

As you, Sir William, undoubtedly instantly observed, I fall into the enormous error of describing Fieldia Australis as Basileophyta⁵ Cunningham’s appendix to Fields work⁶ is here so rare, that I was not yet enabled to get it. To redress my error I must select now some other beautiful new genus as an humble acknowledgement of Friedrich Augusts merits.

When these lines arrive, I trust you will have recieved the box and the parcel with specimens as well as the corresponding two sets of manuscripts, forwarded by his Excellency Mr LaTrobe. In the communication, which I beg to forward by Mr Blair,⁷ I am doubtful, wheather the genus Duttonia and Halothamnus are in reality new, and placed in the right position. Your experienced master-eye will soon discriminate wheather I have been right or wrong, and since my manuscripts are published under your auspices, my mind is released from that anxiety for their correctness, which I formerly felt.

Of Halothamnus and Duttonia I forward fragments now. Of the others I will send when the alpine plants arrive, together with a great many notes already written again, but of less interest as the species are not knew. Of such of which no specimens are left from South Australia, Dr Sonder has order to forward to you, those you might wish free of expense.

We received this day the Argan tree seeds, but are in some anxiety that your collection of useful seeds for our garden, which you had the kindness to order for us last year, may be lost. —

Seeds of Australian plants would be here for us extremely useful and thankfully accepted. They require little care in our garden and would offer many an opportunity to me to watch critical species and to describe others from living plants for my future work. — Any specimens that you, Sir William, might have to spare to aid me in this undertaking and any books that you consider necessary yet for me I should be glad to receive through your bookseller.

For Dr Hooker’s Tasmanian Flora⁸ I am really lingering.

I conclude these hasty lines with my ardent wishes for your health, and trust that providence will long yet enable [you]⁹ to instruct us as you have done so many before during the last half century.

I have the honor to be,

Sir William,

your most obedient and

humble servant

Ferd Mueller.

Sir W. J. Hooker, K H.

&c &c &c

Anthocerastes

Basileophyta

Brachycome melanocarpa

Cassinia

Chrysocephalum pterochaetum

Compositae

Duttonia

Fieldia Australis

Haeckeria

Halothamnus

Humea

Isoetopsis

Klanderia

Microlepidium

Ozothamnus

Pacquerina

Pleiogyne

Steiroglossa

Stuartina

Swammerdamia