Melbourne bot & zool Gardens,
17. May 1860.
Dear Sir William,
Altho’ I have nothing of great interest to communicate, I will not deprive myself of the pleasure of adressing you as usual by the monthly mail & offer you this time the attempt of a systematic limitation of the extra-tropical Eucalypti.1 I think that this together with my concisive essay on the tropical species2 may serve as a foundation for a monographic labour, perhaps to be carried out by myself, if Dr Reisseck, Mr Kippist & Mr Heward are kindly lending their aid in furnishing the wanting material & dissipate the doubt yet overhanging many of the older species. When writing last mail to Dr Hooker3 on his beautiful Fl. Tasmaniae4 I believe I omitted mentioning, that the Goodenia amplexans was found by Stuart on the "Nile River"5 it accords exactly with the plant of St. Vincents Gulf. Stuart called it G. barbata. I believe I mentioned, that Dr Hooker forgot to insert Donatia Novae Zealandiae from Mt Lapeyrouse
The Euc urnigera I regard closely allied to E corymbos[a], particularly as regards fruits. I have examined an original specimen of Siebers E acervula, which has anthers different to those of Euc Gunnii, of which I believe Dr Hookers E acervula is a synonym. If so I can congratulate Dr Hooker on having named one of the most magnific Eucalypti, for altho' small in alpine locality & low open plains, I have seen the tree 200' high in the deep forests.
I am delighted to hear of Dr Hookers & Mr Benthams united work on a revision of genera.6 Two men of such genius & of so almost unrivalled information will bring them to sound limits. — Perhaps Mr Bentham will also thereby allow me a little respit regarding the publication of Australian plants,7 as I can meanwhile bring many of my observations out. I am dissatisfied, that I cannot publish more & quicker, but the enormous amounts of work of this department precludes me almost from working except on Sundays.
I will send you by this or next mail seeds of the femal plant of Dodonaea hexandra, which produce, as you will probably be able to proof at Kew, plants alike to the parental plants, not hybrids, altho' the only bush we have in the garden is strictly feminine.
The Psoralea Gunnii published by Dr Hooker I find is identical with P. [adscendens].8
Wishing you, my dear Sir William, health & happiness, I subscribe myself as one of your devotest servants
Ferd Mueller
Dodonaea hexandra
Donatia Novae Zealandiae
Eucalyptus acervula
Eucalyptus corymbosa
Eucalyptus Gunnii
Eucalyptus urnigera
Goodenia amplexans
Goodenia barbata
Psoralea adscendens
Psoralea Gunnii
Please cite as “FVM-60-05-17,” 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 24 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/60-05-17