Sunday 24/4/70.
Your most kind letter, good and dear Dr Story, has given me great consolation. You speak with as much piety as philosophy, in both of which I can learn much from you.
Let me hope, you are well, and that you do not incur unnecessarily the inclemencies of this wet autumn.
I have not yet over come my departmental difficulties, but my prospect seems to be brighter again.
The Potamogeton1 sent by you without flowers & fruits belongs to the series of P. natans L., common in Britain. But the Australian species has never yet been carefully compared & studied in all its stages.
The Myriophyllum2 cannot be determined without flowers and fruits. It seems however M. variifolium. The Myriophyllum,3 named after me is generally a much smaller plant and grows in brackish flats.
The 2 other plants are Utricularia4 dichotoma Labill. and Spiranthes5 Australis Lindley.
I will be happy to give Mr Abbott, when he comes here, also the plants for you.
With best regards
your attached
Ferd. von Mueller
Myriophyllum variifolium
Potamogeton natans
Spiranthes Australis
Utricularia dichotoma
1664 above Potamogeton in Story's hand. See notes to M to G. Story, 20 January 1869.
6135 above Myriophyllum in Story's hand.
6135 above Myriophyllum in Story's hand, Myriophyllum Muelleri
4193 above Utricularia in Story's hand.
1559 above Spiranthes in Story's hand.
MS annotation by Story: 'Memo 24/4/70 Potamogeton reqd in flr & fruit'.
Please cite as “FVM-70-04-24,” 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