To Joseph Hooker   25 January 1866

25/1/66

Probably I shall be able to enclose to you, dear Dr Hooker, the 36 No. of the Fragmenta¹ this mail. In glancing over the filices you will observe that Schizaea fistulosa & Gleichenia Hermanni occur in N.Z.² I believe it would be advantageous, if you could see my N Z Herbarium before you close the 2 vol.³ The collection is very rich & contains Haasts earlier plants of which no duplicates went to Kew, e.g. Phragmites.

Your never to be forgotten father looked through my collection of Austral. ferns hurriedly, as he stated, not wishing to retain it long.⁴ He wished me to see to the comparison of his naming with the diagnoses of his great work. This I have done faithfully & thus completed [or] altered the definitions. Had the synopsis. fil.⁵ appeared before his lamented death it would have brought up our knowledge of Austr. ferns to a recent date. As it is it became necessary during the present Pteridomania⁶ to place the Austral species along side each other in some fresh publication,⁷ and this will be useful to anyone who may finish the synopsis, I presume yourself, who devoted already so much research to ferns. Had Sir Will even written no other work than the species filicum, it would immortalize him; but indeed I verily believe there is no square mile of the globe where the vegetation does not speak of him! Could I once say this of Australia only, I should consider I had not lived in vain, though my share on the elucidation of Australian plants has become much smaller as I originally hoped.

Would you kindly give me your opinion on this Cyathea. I introduced it as C. medullaris into my list.⁸

I have of the orders now intended for the 3. vol of the flora Australiensis⁹ some additions, but shall probably only be able to send them by next mail.

Your attached

Ferd Mueller

Cyathea medullaris

Gleichenia Hermanni

Phragmites

Schizaea fistulosa