To William Hooker   5 February 1859

5. Febr. 59

Dear Sir William.

I have since commencing to write to you finished the examination of Mr Babbages plants. They contain 2 new genera, 1 differing from Kochia in producing only 2 wings, both vertical! = Babbagia, the other = Gunnia is a remarkable little pygmy of Portulaceae1 with a [membranous] 4 locular 4 valved septicidal capsule which burst with suddenness by the slightest touch of moisture. The collection contains 8 new sp of genera know, vize Hibiscus, Helichrysum, Trichinium, & Mr Dallachy has also returned2 and found like Mr Babbage a magnificent Eremophila, which I dedi[cate]d3 to the S. Austral. governor Sir Rich. Macdonell.4 He has a new genus of Apocyneae; a new Grevillea & Solanum But the great mass of his collection has not yet arrived & may contain some novelty also.5

You were so kindfully watching for an opportunity to send us seeds &c. Would you allow me to refer you to my patriotic friend Edw. Wilson esq. City Bank Chambers 20 Threadneedle Street London, with whom I have communicated on the subject of transit.6

The most interesting plants which I lately examined were the Eriocauleae, some of the species having a structure totally different to anything described by Koernicke.7 E. heterogynum has some female flowers with 2 sepals and others with 4. I have them carefully described in my Fragmenta, but the printer has not furnished the work in time for the mail.8

These plants remind me of Dr Hookers genus Trithuria, a name which I shall be happy to adopt, but as in the Flora Tasmanica exception is taken of the name Juncella,9 which I employed, I would for my own vindication wish to remind Dr Hooker that Lamark in his Encyclopédiqué tab 50 employs the term Joncinelle for the allied genus Eriocaulon.10 An other reason for my adopting in 1848 the name Juncella was, because it shows in the manner of growth, tuft like, its color, habit [a]resemblance (as the enclosed specimen shows) with Juncus capitatus Weigel, a plant already so well & so early referred to by you in flora Scotia.

Mr Babbage has only 1 specimen of each plant glued up, so that I do not possess them myself, but I will print a full enumeration of them I have broken a piece offrom his specimen of Babbagia.

Ever yours

Ferd. Mueller

 

Apocyneae

Babbagia

Eremophila

Eriocauleae

Eriocaulon heterogynum

Grevillea

Gunnia

Helichrysum

Hibiscus

Joncinelle

Juncella

Juncus capitatus

Kochia

Portulaceae

Solanum

Trichinium

Trithuria

 
1
M erected both Babbagia (B. dipterocarpa) and Gunnia (G.septifraga) in B59.10 02, p. 21 and p. 9 respectively. For the intention to name a genus after Ronald Gunn to replace Lindley's orchid genus Gunnia, see M to R. Gunn 14 December 1858, and M to J. Hooker 15 December 1858.
2
From the Murray and Darling rivers. See M toJ. O'Shanassy, 11 February 1859.
3
uncertain reading— torn page.
4
Eremophila macdonnellii, B59.10.02, p. 18.
5
The plants from Babbage's expedition were described in B59.10.02. Babbage's expedition of 1858 explored the northern areas of South Australia around the dry salt lakes near Lake Torrens before he was pressed into cutting short the expedition at the end of the year. See Threadgill (1922).
6
Letter not found.
7
Körnicke (1854).
8
Seven species of Eriocaulon were described in B59.02.03, which was published later in February.
9
'A singular little plant, of very obscure affinity, discovered by Gunn in Tasmania and also by Mueller in South Australia, who has proposed for it the manuscript name Juncella.… I have ventured to supersede the name proposed (without description) both because the plant has no affinity with or resemblence to Juncus, and because it is not confined to Tasmania.' In the synonomy Hooker gives 'Juncella Tasmanica, Mueller in Herb. Hook, and in the catalogue of Victoria (sic) Plants, [B54.12.01] sine descript.' (J. Hooker, 1855-60, vol. 2, p. 78).See also J. Hooker to M, 20 December 1858.
10
Lamarck (1783–1817) vol. 3, p. 274.

Please cite as “FVM-59-02-05,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/59-02-05