To Joseph Hooker   9 August 1868

9/8/68

 

I am glad all the plants arrived safely, dear Dr Hooker, and that Prof Oliver sent back the Epacrideae for you. In regard to the plants to be tried in the Shetland islands1 you must kindly remember that Acacia decurrens and several other of the recommended trees are subalpine! Seedlings moreover will be hardier there than in a warmer clime.

Young Mr Travers is going to collect the plants of the limestone-formation and of Stewarts Island[s] I shall not work on any of them as I do not wish to invade your territory of research.2

I am very poor here in Passiflorae.3 Do any of your produce fruits or have you access otherwise to the seeds of these easily raised and lovely plants? Among others (few) I have P. gracilis. Has its native country ever been ascertained? I am also very poor in palms of the Western hemisphere. Piper nigrum is not in the Garden either, nor Desmodium gyrans & Dionaea muscipula & Saracenias. Even Biophytum I do not possess.4

With every good

wish your

Ferd. von Mueller

 

A package of seeds goes to you again by this mail.

 

Acacia decurrens

Biophytum

Desmodium gyrans

Dionaea muscipula

Epacrideae

Passiflora gracilis

Piper nigrum

Saracenia

1
See M to J. Hooker, 12 March 1868 (in this edition as 86-03-12a).
2
Stewart Island is about 40 km off the southern end of the South Island of New Zealand, a region upon the plants of which Joseph Hooker continued to work.
3
Passiflorae is marked in the margin with a cross.
4
Desmodium ... Bipophytum is marked in the margin with a cross.

Please cite as “FVM-68-08-09a,” 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 1 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/68-08-09a