To William Hooker   14 May 1863

Melb. bot garden

14/[5]/631

Dear Sir William.

I have much pleasure in forwarding you a few more sprigs unfortunately also not in fruit2 of the supposed Gymnogramm[e]?, to which you were so kind to attach my name for specific distinction.3 I further enclose a Pteris, allied to Pteris Endlicheriana which if it proves new, as I think from consulting your spec. filicum,4 I would like much should bear the name of the discoverer of both these ferns, Mr Edward Macarthur Bowman.5 Both are restricted as far as known to Fort Cooper.6

That I forwarded a case of dried plants, pr. "Great Britain," I wrote in my last letter. An other one will probably follow pr "Anglesey" The "Roxburgh castle" has arrived in our Bay, but the two boxes shipped by her (with returned specimens) have as yet not come into my hands, so that I cannot as yet report on their state of preservation.

I have fully written about the flora of Australia to Mr Bentham.7 Would you kindly forward the enclosed book to Sir Charl Nicholsons adress, which at present is unknown to me. The Baronet resides somewhere near London.

Trusting you continue in the blessing of firm health, I remain, dear Sir William,

your attached

Ferd Mueller

 

Best regards to Dr Hooker.

I would for curiosities sake be very glad to have a cursory estimate of the extent of Cunninghams normal collection.

In the box pr Great Britain is a parcel with Gastrolobium bilobum for Prof Dr Wittstein in Munich for toxicologic experiments & for chemical analysis. Would you kindly cause it to be sent on to Dr Sonder?8

I forgot to mention in my hurried letter to Mr Bentham, that I forwarded the Gastrolobia to him by the Great Britain. Dr Booth9 receives the Carices & Unciniae by the same opportunity & you my normal collection of ferns.

 

Carex

Gastrolobium bilobum

Gymnogramme

Pteris Endlicheriana

Uncinia

 
1
Month confirmed by internal references to M to W. Hooker, 30 April 1863 and to M to G. Bentham, 13 May 1863.
2
unfortunately ... in fruit is a marginal annotation with its position indicated by an asterisk.
3
Gymnogramme muelleri was described in W. Hooker (1846-64), vol. 5, p. 143, t. CCXCV, published in 1864.
4
W. Hooker (1846-64).
5
APNI lists no Pteris named after Bowman. Hooker identified it as P. pedata (see M to W. Hooker, 23 July 1863).
6
A homestead between the Carborough and Denham Ranges, west of Mackay, Qld.
7
M to G. Bentham, 13 May 1863.
8
See M to W. Hooker, 30 April 1863 (in this edition as 63-04-30b).
9
Boott?

Please cite as “FVM-63-05-14,” 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/63-05-14