Sandhurst1 Decr 27/66
Dear Doctor
If you have seen the enclosed seedpods before (as I conclude you have) good and well — if not I will have had a pleasure afforded me in bringing it under your notice —
A friend of mine has been inland — nearly upon Leichardts2 track — and was struck by the appearance of a singular looking pendulous tree & by its oleaginous pods
He describes it as growing Mangrove like — the pods remaining attached to the stem until they strike root when it seems to go on afresh until a jungle is formed —
He has never met it before in all the course of an extensive bush experience and as he found it in an unexplored district he fancies it may not have been noticed before — which I doubt — but containing as it does a very powerful expressible essential oil together with a very acrid extractive substance it is worthy of examination in a chemical point of view —
I chewed a portion of a pod, and from my experience I should not advise you to do the same, for its acridity affected my throat for hours severely and its bitter remained for a long time
Not having received all of the specimens of pyrites yet I can only apologise for the delay
yours ever truely
Willm Shiress
Dr Mueller
Melbourne
Please cite as “FVM-66-12-27,” 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