Kew Dec 8th/61.
Dr Dr Mueller
I have little to say but that we are all well & busy. Thanks for your last with the accompanying enclosure.1 What a kind fellow Harvey is. I am sure you have acted both liberally & wisely. — Bentham has already begun with the Dilleniaceae. having to revise that order for Gen. Plant.2 he took the opportunity of doing the Australian species — he found a good many in Brit: Mus. that were unknown elsewhere. Sonder is sending over all Plant Preiss3 but they have not arrived yet. I very much hope that you will get on with Victoria Flora;4 it is a capital work, & will cost you more labor than you perhaps anticipate to complete it.
We have just gone to press with the 1st part of Genera Plantarum but it will be 4 months before it is out. The Sapind.5 Terebinth6 & all these orders have cost us immense labor. as it is we have been 3 years at DC vol I!7 We hope however to get on faster after this & this work will facilitate local Floras very much indeed.
Welwitch has sent the Tumboa to be described by me in Linn. Trans. as Welwitschia,8 it is certainly the most marvellous plant discovered since Botany was systematized — more curious certainly though less striking in some points than Rafflesia — it is certainly Gnetaceae.
Baines has sent us a sketch of the same thing from Dammara land9 together with very imperfect specimens.
We continue to receive very remarkable collections from our West African collector Mann,10 who is now at St Thomas11 & going to Cameroons mountains.
Ever most ty yrs
Jos D Hooker
Dilleniaceae
Gnetaceae
Rafflesia
Sapindaceae
Terebinthaceae
Welwitschia
Please cite as “FVM-61-12-08,” 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 29 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/61-12-08