By the "Monarch" the rest of the Leguminosae is shipped, also Melastomaceae, Combretaceae & Chrysobalaneae. From the latter I have excluded Stylobasium, as it evidently not belongs to that order; but I am not certain where it should be placed; perhaps in Phytolacceae as I suggested in the "plants of Victoria".1 Perhaps you favor me with your views on its affinity, so that I may send it in right time. Donatia has been mislaid, which I regret as it is uncertain, whether I shall be able to find the plant in time for you to compare.
I have however carefully compared it with the figure & description published by Dr Hooker2 & I found it absolutely identical with the NZ plant. Dr Hooker overlooked it in the suppl. to the Tasmanian flora,3 altho' I believe that I forwarded specimina to Kew.4 It is as yet only found on Mt Laperouse in Tasmania where it grows with Gingidium procumbens, Dracophyllum minimum & other very rare plants. I adopt the name Bauera rubiaefolia, as rubioides is ungrammatical. The genus was established by Banks, not by Kennedy5 or Andrews6. I adopt 3 species B. rubiaefolia, B. capitata & B. sessiliflora7
Bauera capitata
Bauera rubiaefolia
Bauera rubioides
Bauera sessiliflora
Chrysobalaneae
Combretaceae
Donatia
Dracophyllum minimum
Gingidium procumbens
Leguminosae
Melastomaceae
Phytolacceae
Stylobasium
B62.03.03, p. 197.
Donatia Novae-Zelandiae; see J. Hooker (1853-5), vol. 1, p. 81, t. 20.
M is probably referring to the 'Additions, corrections &c' in J. Hooker (1855 -60), vol. 2, pp. 355-76.
The undated specimen at Kew (K000060007) was collected by Oldfield on the summit of Mt La Perouse, Tas, and is cited in Bentham (1863-78), vol. 2, p. 450. M mentions a specimen collected from the same locality by Stuart (B63.09.01, p. 3).
Probably John Kennedy, who 'wrote many plant descriptions' for Andrews (1797-[1814]) (Desmond).
Banks is credited with authorship of the name in Andrews (1797-[1814]), vol. 3, t. 198.
B63.09.01, pp. 23-4.
The correspondent is assumed to be Bentham because of the subject matter and style of the letter. It may be a fragment of, or a post-script to, another letter.
Item dated to September 1863 by reference to RB MSS M44, Notebook recording despatch of plants for Bentham for Flora australiensis, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The plants mentioned as sent were contained in boxes 16 and 17, sent on Monarch, which sailed on 7 September 1863.
Please cite as “FVM-63-09-00,” 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