St George's Day 1866.
The "Lincolnshire", dear Mr Bentham, has not yet arrive, though overdue; I trust that nothing happened to her, & that the 3 cases with Eucalypti, the most important section of my herbarium, have to incur no danger. If safely arriving I shall, I suppose, be able to get from the herbarium all the information concerning the tree-list needed for the Exhibition Essay.1
I have almost nothing done for Compositae during the last month. The heavy work of the Directorate did not admit of it & my few sparehours were occupied with engagements for the intercolonial and the French Exhibition [&] besides I had to issue a general departmental report for parliament.2 I shall however now soon resume labor & send you some supplements to Rubiaceae &c also.
I must confess your contraction of the Australian genera of Umbellifereae has taken me by surprise. If we regard how weak such genera as Phebalium, Polanisia & many of Leguminosae are, I should think separation of several of the genera you propose to unite still more desirable.3 But about generic limits no law can be laid down, as, I contend, on species. Araliaceae might, perhaps, be united with Umbelliferae, though Seemanns transfer of Hydrocotyles4 appears not natural.
The capsule of Cuttsia bears no resemblance whatever to the true berry of Abrophyllum, which never changes into a capsule. Both genera must be further studied on the spot.5
Your essay on Eucalyptus wil be the most glorious portion of the
whole work.6
your attached
Ferd. Mueller
Did the Mollugineae remain accidentally behind at Kew? I cannot find them here.7
Abrophyllum
Araliaceae
Compositae
Cuttsia
Eucalyptus
Hydrocotyle
Leguminosae
Mollugineae
Phebalium
Polanisia
Rubiaceae
Umbellifereae
Intercolonial Exhibition of Australasia, Melbourne, 1866-7. See M to G. Bentham, 5 February 1866. The list is printed in B67.13.02, pp. 20-38 of the essay, pp. 268-86 of the volume.
M to J. McCulloch, 14 March 1866?
See G. Bentham to M, 18 February 1866.
Seemann (1863), pp. 278-80.
See G. Bentham to M, 18 February 1866.
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, pp. 185-261.
One folder containing Mollugineae was included in the fourth shipment of specimens for Bentham, 24 April 1862 (M notebook recording despatch of plants to Kew for Flora australiensis, RB MSS M44, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne). See also M to W. Hooker, 24 June 1865, and M to G. Bentham, 26 June 1866 (in this edition as 66-06-26a).
Please cite as “FVM-66-04-23a,” 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