Melbourne, March 26: Ficus vesca.—This noble evergreen Fig-tree, vernacularly known as the cluster Fig, and described in the Journal de Botanique Néerlandaise for 1861,1 merits general attention. As an umbrageous avenue tree it deserves a place next to Ficus Sycomorus, and might be chosen to overshade roads and walks in the Mediterranean region and other countries of warmer climes. The fruit, which is produced in large clusters from the stems, is edible, though inferior in quality to that of the ordinary Fig. Ficus vesca is readily raised from seeds, and large numbers of young trees are thus reared for avenues through the metropolitan reserves at Melbourne. The tree was first alluded to by the unfortunate Dr. Leichhardt, and subsequently seen and named by Dr. F. Mueller. It is a native of Queensland, and especially frequent on the Burdekin River. F. Mueller.
2Minarum biflorum,3 or Scleranthus biflorus.—This has stood the drought of a dreadful season much better than Spergula pilifera. In the Botanic Garden of Melbourne it has been most successfully adopted for edging. It forms a very close lovely verdent turf. From Tasmania, where the plant is more readily accessible than in Victoria, it might be obtained most easily. The Minarum being found up to the glacier regions of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, would not succumb under a Lapponian winter. The plant might therefore even be naturalised in Polar Europe. F. Mueller.
Ficus Sycomorus
Ficus vesca
Minarum biflorum
Scleranthus biflorus
Spergula pilifera
Miquel (1861-2), p. 243; the part containing the description was issued in January 1862 (TL2, title number 6115).
The text in this paragraph is printed immediately below the item on Fiscus vesca. It is probable that the items were extracted from the same letter as separately indexed articles, and they are therefore combined here. The letter almost certainly enclosed a cutting from the Australasian which is reproduced immediately below this paragraph under the heading 'Tracing exploring parties' (B66.06.04). M's memorandum originally appeared in the Australasian, 17 March 1866, p. 9 (in this edition as 66-03-00) (B66.03.02).
Mniarum biflorum? The index to the volume has the correct spelling, but that to the issue has the spelling used in the text.
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Foreign correspondence', Gardeners' chronicle, 23 June 1866, p. 589 (B66.06.02, B66.06.03).
Please cite as “FVM-66-03-26d,” 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