To George Bentham   27 July 1867

Queenscliff¹

27/7/67.

I write from Queenscliff, Dear Mr Bentham, whence I went to endeavour to regain strength by change of air. My health is seriously impaired by the anxieties of managing a large department surrounded by hostile or unfair influences, and called on to serve antagonistic interests in a democratic community. I will thus be brief. Should my illness increase so that I cannot write again, pray adress then all your letters to E. B. Heyne Esq. my horticultural Assistant.

I have sent by the "Sussex" a supplemental fascicle (large) of Stylideae, Goodeniaceae, & Campanulaceae, several fascicles of Epacris & some other Epacrideae, also the Ericeae² (to which I first of all referred Prionotes) & Vaccinieae. I have no doubt Vaccinium itself exists on Mount Bellenden Ker in Queensland, but the natives are so hostile in the surrounding jungles that the ascent of the mount, irrespective of the necessity of cutting the dense underwood for many miles, is not possible except for a large & well armed party. So we have as yet among Vaccineae³ only Wittsteinia,⁴ the only genus peculiar to Victorian! territory!! I comprehend all these families, i.e. Epacrideae, Ericeae, Vaccineae under one, Linnés & Klotzschs Bicornes, but as we have few plants in Australia responding to that name I would advise to adopt simply that of Ericeae for this assemblage. A much more serious question arises, how are the genera to be limited. Erica in its present wider sense, so well adopted by you,⁵ demands some thing analogous of large groups in Epacrideae, as we must endeavour to bring phytography as near as possible to the exact sciences.

I have reflected on this subject for the last 20 years, while frequently examining Epacrideae. RBr. himself fluctuated in his views & left it an open question, whether not nearly all Drupaceous genera should go back to Styphelia. Some middle-course between the two suggested by that acute observer seems to me best in this case like in all others in the world, where extremes should be avoided.

We are thus in a similar position as we were in regarding Helichrysum, were⁶ allied genera have no absolute limits & yet these cannot well be reunited. Should you adopt Styphelia in a wider sense, then you will kindly remember, that to RBr. (not to Sprengel) the authority belongs (vide prodr 536 for the species known to 1810).⁷

Should I recover I will concentrate all available spare time on effecting final arrangements of the Great Australian Herbarium here, so that my death at any time may not disturb althogether the progress of the universal work thereon.

I enclose the schema of Epacrideous genera, as adopted by me.⁸ I shall still have to verify some of the limits indicated. Let me remain with grateful regards your

Ferd Mueller.

Campanulaceae

Epacrideae

Ericeae

Epacris

Erica

Ericeae

Goodeniaceae

Helichrysum

Prionotes

Stylideae

Styphelia

Vaccineae

Vaccinium

Wittsteinia