24/7/65
Dear Dr Hooker.
The consignment of Cereus, Dahlias, etc, which you were so kind to transmit by last mail arrived and while I have to express to you my gratitude for your generosity I am glad to say that the majority of the plants arrived in safety and are mostly new to this garden.1 I was glad to learn, that your venerable father had recovered from his late attack of Bronchitis and trust you will not allow any exposure of his to the inclemency of the weather, which might bring on new attacks. It would be a dreadful loss to all of us, if he was suddenly carried away.2
I have always hoped that he would be a Cententarian & that he would see yet much of the results of his labours turned to account by others
I feel obliged for the spikes of the Tussoc Grass, and trust to make them grow. The plant would evidently be a great acquisition if not here at least in the colder parts of New Zealand & in the Chatham Islands.
I am sorry you had so much trouble about getting the life plants, especially as the exertions proved vain.
I will attend to your wish for having terrestrial Orchids for your Garden[.]3
About two years ago I sent a specimen of a grass for Colonel Munro's inspection. Your worthy friend pronounced it a new section of Panicum.4 On examination I find, that it is Neurachne Mitchelliana, though I have no authentic specimen for comparison. It is possible that Neurachne paradoxa, of which I have abundant specimens as well as N. montana, which I know only from Gaudichauds figure5 as well as the Darling Grass are all species of different genera. The caryopsis of Neurachne paradoxa is very large.
Regardfully yr
Ferd Mueller.
The escallonious genus Cuttsia is worthy of your attention for the genera plantarum6
Cereus
Cuttsia
Dahlia
Neurachne Mitchelliana
Neurachne montana,
Neurachne paradoxa
Panicum
The consignment was sent from Kew on 17 May 1865 (RBG Kew, Library (Kewensia), Outward Book, 1860-69, p. 234). The box contained 34 plants, including 11 varieties of Dahlia and five species of Cereus.
See J. Hooker to M, 2 May 1865.
See J. Hooker to M, 2 May 1865.
William Munro. Hooker sent the specimen to Munro, who accepted it as an undescribed Panicum (J. Hooker to M, 24 December 1862). Despite the doubts about the genus expressed here and in M to J. Hooker, 31 December 1866 (in this edition as 31-12-31a) where M also reports having based his comments here on a different species, M published the species as P. munroi (B66.12.04, p. 204). However, he recombined it as Neurachne munroi in B74.07.01, p. 200, as part of his revision of the grasses before he sent these to Kew for Bentham (1863-78); vol. 7 in which it appeared (p. 508) was not published until 1878. Lucas (2003), pp. 265-72, discusses the relationship between M's publication patterns and the planned sequence of Flora australiensis; for grasses, see fig. 3, p. 266.
Freycinet (1826), pl. 26.
M erected Cuttsia (C. viburnea) in B65.07.03, p. 47.
Please cite as “FVM-65-07-24,” 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