To Miles Berkeley   30 December 1870

Melbourne

bot Garden

30/12/70

I was most agreeably surprised, rev. and dear Sir, to receive your very kind note by this months mail together with your noble picture, which I shall keep among my best treasures.¹ I beg to enclose a small poor likeness of mine made 5 years ago, since which time I have not been in an attelier.

That you will give up some of your precious time in 1871 for the definition of the species of fungi of my Australian collection is most pleasing to me. To have the unparalleled experience of the greatest mycologist of this age brought to bear on these collections is a boon, which I cannot sufficiently acknowledge. If a moderate monetary contribution of mine for illustrations or otherwise in any way could facilitate your investigations, I hope you will unhesitatingly express to me your wishes in this direction, and a remittance from my private means shall be made to you at once.

Among the fungi you will find fragments of what I thought to be a thing of fungus growth, but which I found subsequently to be nothing else than to be a piece of the receptacle of Cynara scolymus. In reference to Xenodochus I append a memorandum.²

With profound regards

your very obedient

Ferd. von Mueller

Xenodochus ligniperda, Willk. described in Willkomm’s mikroskopische Feinde des Waldes; Erstes Heft 66-67, tab 1. & partly 2.³

This important work appeared 1866-1867 in Dresden (G. Schoenfield). I have it since 3 years here in Melbourne. At this moment I have no preparation of the allied Xenodochus cerealium⁴ at hand.

Both have considerable affinity to the Oidium stage of Erysiphe and to Pen[i]cillium.

Xenodochus ligniperda was generally determined by Rabenhorst and contributes at least one of the agencies which produce the Redrot in Pinewood.

Cynara scolymus

Erysiphe

Oidium

Xenodochus cerealium

Xenodochus ligniperda