To William Hooker   22 September 1854

Bot. Gardens Melbourne. 22 September 1854

Sir William

As the "Madras" is leaving our port again tomorrow I take an early opportunity of replying by the overland mail to your kind letters, conveyed to me by Messrs Duncan and Anderson, and to acknowledge the receipt of the two boxes with plants for our garden. Several circumstances unfavourable have caused some of the plants to die, however the greater part of them is in good order and will form an agreable acquisition to this juvenile establishment, for which I have, Sir William, to express my most hearty thanks. I should be sorry to see the Böhmeria, certainly a valuable plant for us, die, — it is in rather a precarious state. Delighted we have been here chiefly with the 3 evergreen oaks, and with the Thea, the first individual of the species we obtained. — It will cause me much pleasure, to do any thing, that lays in my power for the two gardeners, so warmly recommended by you, Sir William —, although it is certainly not so easy for workmen of any kind to find now suitable and lucrative employment, as it was a year or two ago. Besides, the practical management of this garden lays not in my hand, so that the engagement of gardeners rests with Mr Dallachi. However for two so hardy intelligent and industrious men is hardly any thing to fear.

I have communicated to the Superintendent your request of seeing the cases soon and properly filled on the homeway. The letter, to which you alluded, as probably reaching me before the arrival of Mr Anderson, has unfortunately not yet arrived, altho' we have an overland mail in nearly a month later. I am therefore yet in great anxiety about the arrival of the collection made up for you, Sir William, nearly a year ago as well as the dense set of manuscript, comprising nearly 6 months labour. But I hope, that it all reached you in safety, as well what the late Governor [as] Capt. Carey took home, as also the manuscripts send by the "Madras" overland last time, the box with plants and manuscripts by the "Queen of the South", the small collection which the poet Howitt undertook to deliver; and above all, I anxiously hope, Sir William, that all these things will have been pleasing to you, and not obliterated the good opinion, which you condescended to bestow on my humble labours. — It is true, that the specimens are not all in such a good state, as I wished them to be; but this owes to the so ephemerous anthesis of the most plants here and to there great dispersion over so vast a territory. It is much more difficult here to procure collections than in V.D L., because we have here so much farther to go for them and do not yet enjoy so good roads. —

Of the Argan tree I have seen to my joy two nuts germinate. For your account of this tree and your kind letter I took some while ago an opportunity to tender my thanks.¹ There are again a considerable number of specimens ready for you, which will be send together with the rest of the manuscripts after my second annual report² is published in about 6 weeks.

To my great delight Professor Harvey arrived here safely³ and in good health from K.G.S. about a fourthnight ago. It is needless to say, how much I have learnt from this equally amiable and scientific man in the short while, which I have spent as yet with him. He is now on his way to the heads of Port Phillip, and his keen eye and experienced hand will disclose certainly much yet of the marine vegetation. My duties at the ensuing season will of course call me into the field again, and with pleasure I shall follow your advice to explore the alps further. I hope, Sir Charles Hotham will permit my transgressing the boundaries of the colony, so that by visiting also the three main points of the alps in N.S.W. I may be enabled to write some more extensive remarks on the alpine Flora of N. Holl., now so much more interesting since Dr Jos. Hooker adumbrates the Tasman. Flora, to which so many species may be compared.

Lately Dr J. Hookers most interesting and lea[rned]⁴ "Himalayan journals"⁵ arrived in Melbourne of which I bought several copies for distribution amongst my friends. I have also recommended it to all scientific men here, as one of the most valuable travellers account ever furnished by the press. —

Knowing how desirous you will be, Sir William, to hear a few interesting (or perhaps so) particulars about the novelties of my last collections I beg to mention the following plants. Cocculus Harveyanus⁶ adds Menispermeae to the New Holl[and] Flora; Hutchinsia antipoda, indigenous and allied to H. petraea, with which I have compared it, since I received at length my miscellaneous herbarium from home, comprising about 10,000 sp. Comparison has also proved that Samolus valerandi R. Br. is most certainly distinct from the Linnean plant, but perhaps identical with S. floribundis H.B.K. I named it S. micranthus. — Erysimum cardaminoides, Lepidium monoplociodes, Monoploca lepto-petala. Murray. Clematis co[m]ta, Cl. leptophylla,⁷ Comesp.⁸ polygaloides, Marianthus bignoniaceus, Cissus Australasica (not antarc[tica)],⁹ Dodon. bursarifol,¹⁰ D. deflexa, D. procumbens, Tribul. acanthococcus, Crowea exalata, Boronia coerulescens, clavellifolia, Asterolasia (n.g. allied to Geleznowia) phebalioides and trymalioides, Phebalium ozothamnoides Eriostem. phylicoides, trachyphyllus, lancifolius, Abutilon otocarpum, Ab. Behrianum, Sida humillima, S. intricata, Cucurbita micrantha, Mniarum singuliflorum (always 1 fl; 2 bracts and calyx 5 parted.), Myriophyll. simplicifol.,¹¹ Ammannia Australasica, Bauera sessiliflora, Ricinocarpus sessiliflorus, Trachycaryon Hookeri, T. Cunninghami, Beyeria opaca, Phyllanth. lacunarius, P. trachyspermus, Halothamnus (allied to Mozinna) microphyllus, Celastrus, australis Ha[rvey]¹² & Muel. (for which I received Dr Harveys valuable opinion) Heterodendron angustifolium Trymal. uncinatum, diversifol., velutinum, leucophract,¹³ Lhotzkya genethylloides, Eucal. gracilis, santalifolia, largiflorens (with always double opercul.), E. leucoxylon, Galium geminifolium (leaves 2! opposite) Centella cuneifolia, Anisotome simplicifolia, Sambucus xanthocarpa, a tree like S. nigra, but only 3 or 4 petals like S. Gaudichi.¹⁴ Euryb. alpigena,¹⁵ Brachycome chrysoglossa, a true sp. with yellow ray! Calotis anthemoides, Angianth.¹⁶ brachypappus, Helipter.¹⁷ exiguum and praecox, Gnaphalium alpigenum, Antennaria nubigena, perhaps Gnaph. Catipes DC, who saw then most likely only the fertile plant; and several other interesting Composi[tae;]¹⁸ Goodenia heteromera, Velleya connata, Coleostylis Sonderi & C. nudicaulis, Pholidia divaricata, Ph. polyclada, Prostanthera phylicifolia, coccinea and spinosa!, Heliotrop.¹⁹ lacunarium, Mitrasacme distylis (like M. paradoxa, but the stylis detached!, Limnanth.²⁰ crenatum, Solanu[m]²¹ lacunar, pulchell, &c,²² Lycium australe, Grevillea dimorpha, confertifolia, lobata, pterosperma, Pimelae alpina, Rhagod.²³ deltophylla, [r]igens, nitrariacea, Obione inflata, [m]utata, spongiosa & rhagodioides, Kochia brachyptyera,²⁴ K. sedifolia, K. desertic[u]la,²⁵ Kentropsis cornuta, Eriochyton sclerolaenoides,²⁶ Osteocarpum salsuginosum, Atriplex leptocarpum, lacunarium, Tandonia, Anisacantha quinquecuspis, tricuspis, bicuspis & kentropsidea, Polygonum diclinum, Choretrum chrysanthum, Exocarpus pendula, Udora australis, Thalassia ovalis, Poa brizochloa &c Panicum convallium, prolutum & ammophelum, Nephrodium lacerum &c &c &c

Of all these (with the Chenopodeae now under the hand of the amiable [Fenzl]²⁷ full diagnoses and descriptions are either on the way to you, Sir William, or will be despatched to you in a few weeks, so that you will see I am not idle.²⁸ — And yet I should have been much farther, had I not been obliged to produce timber specimens for the Paris exhibition. 24 kinds (belonging to 15 nat. orders have been obtained in transverse sections, and I shall order them to be remitted from Paris to your magnificent garden.²⁹ At Sealers Cove I collected beautiful specimens of Dawsonia superba, and several new algae, all of which have been placed to Dr Harveys service.

I must finally pray for your kind excuse of my hasty writings, but I am pressed for time to finish the elaboration of the material for my report, urged to be laid before the Legisl. Council³⁰

With my best wishes for your

health I beg to subscribe myself

your most devoted friend

Ferd Mueller

Sir W. J. Hooker K.H. &c &c.

I shall send now also specimens and description of Juncella Tasmanica, a new genus of Desvauxiae established as early as 1848³¹ [and] a few V. D. L. specimens of a little plant with the [nature] of Juncus capitatis.

Abutilon Behrianum

Abutilon otocarpum

Ammannia Australasica

Angianthus brachypappus

Anisacantha bicuspis

Anisacantha kentropsidea

Anisacantha quinquecuspis

Anisacantha tricuspis

Anisotome simplicifolia

Antennaria nubigena

Asterolasia phebalioides

Asterolasia trymalioides

Atriplex leptocarpum

Bauera sessiliflora

Beyeria opaca

Böhmeria

Boronia clavellifolia

Boronia coerulescens

Brachycome chrysoglossa

Calotis anthemoides

Celastrus australis

Centella cuneifolia

Chenopodeae

Choretrum chrysanthum

Cissus antarctica

Cissus Australasica

Clematis coneta

Clematis leptophylla

Cocculus Harveyanus

Coleostylis nudicaulis

Coleostylis Sonderi

Comesperma polygaloides

Compositae

Crowea exalata

Cucurbita micrantha

Dawsonia superba

Desvauxiae

Dodonea bursarifol

Dodonea deflexa

Dodonea procumbens

Eriochyton sclerolaenoides

Eriostemon lancifolius

Eriostemon phylicoides

Eriostemon trachyphyllus

Erysimum cardaminoides

Eucalyptus gracilis

Eucalyptus largiflorens

Eucalyptus leucoxylon

Eucalyptus santalifolia

Eurybia alpigena.

Exocarpus pendula

Galium geminifolium

Geleznowia

Gnaphalium alpigenum

Gnaphalium Catipes

Goodenia heteromera

Grevillea confertifolia

Grevillea dimorpha

Grevillea lobata

Grevillea pterosperma

Halothamnus microphyllus

Heliotropium lacunarium

Helipterum exiguum

Helipterum praecox

Heterodendron angustifolium

Hutchinsia antipoda

Hutchinsia petraea

Juncella Tasmanica

Juncus capitatis

Kentropsis cornuta

Kochia brachyptyera

Kochia deserticula

Kochia sedifolia

Solanum lacunarium

Lepidium monoplociodes

leucophractum

Lhotzkya genethylloides

Limnanthemum crenatum

Lycium australe

Marianthus bignoniaceus

Menispermeae

Mitrasacme distylis

Mitrasacme paradoxa

Mniarum singuliflorum

Monoploca lepto-petala

Mozinna

Myriophyllum simplicifolium

Nephrodium lacerum

Obione inflata

Obione mutata

Obione rhagodioides

Obione spongiosa

Osteocarpum salsuginosum

Panicum ammophelum

Panicum convallium

Panicum prolutum

Phebalium ozothamnoides

Pholidia divaricata

Pholidia polyclada

Phyllanthus lacunarius

Phyllanthus trachyspermus

Pimelae alpina

Poa brizochloa

Polygonum diclinum

Prostanthera coccinea

Prostanthera phylicifolia

Prostanthera spinosa

Rhagodia deltophylla

Rhagodia nitrariacea

Rhagodia rigens

Ricinocarpus sessiliflorus

Sambucus Gaudichaudiana

Sambucus nigra

Sambucus xanthocarpa

Samolus floribundis

Samolus micranthus

Samolus valerandi

Sida humillima

Sida intricata

Solanum lacunarium

Solanum pulchellum

Tandonia

Thalassia ovalis

Thea

Trachycaryon Cunninghami

Trachycaryon Hookeri

Tribulus acanthococcus

Trymalium diversifolium

Trymalium uncinatum

Trymalium velutinum

Udora australis

Velleya connata