To Carl Meisner   18 February 1871

Melbourne im bot. Garten

18 Febr. 1871.

 

Es bietet sich mir eine angenehme Gelegenheit dar, verehrter Herr Professor, Ihnen einige wenige seltne Proteaceen zu zusenden, und zwar durch einen Schweizer Freund, Herrn J. H. Dardel, der Sie besuchen wird. Diese Pflanzen enthalten die neuen Gattungen, welche ich unter den Proteaceen begründete. Ich habe einige Arten in zweifachen Exemplaren gesandt, bittend wenn sich Ihnen einmal eine kostenfreie Gelegenheit darbietet, das Ihnen Entbehrliche an Prof. Oudemans in Amsterdam zu schicken.

Sie haben sich unter den Proteaceen Australiens ein herrliches beneidenswerthes Denkmal gesetzt. Der 5te Band der Flora Australiens wird Ihnen zugänglich sein. Ich habe nun auch endlich vollständige Blumen von Strangea, die es mir möglich machen werden in nächster Nummer der Fragmenta diese höchst seltene Pflanze genau zu definiren.

Hoffend, dass Sie einen ruhigen u freudevollen Lebensherbst lange geniessen mögen, bleibe ich Ihr Sie tief Ehrender

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Keine der gesandten Proteaceen ausser Carnarvonia u Helicia ternifolia sind bisher abgebildet.

 
 
 

Melbourne Botanic Garden,

18 February 1871.

 

A favourable opportunity presents itself to me, esteemed Professor, to send you a very few rare Proteaceae through a Swiss friend, Mr J. H. Dardel,1 who will visit you. These plants include the new genera that I established in the Proteaceae.2 I have sent a few species in duplicate and ask that, should an opportunity present itself free of cost, you would send what you can spare to Professor Oudemans in Amsterdam.

You have erected yourself a glorious and enviable memorial in the Australian Proteaceae. The 5th volume of the Flora of Australia will be available to you.3 At long last I have now obtained complete flowers of Strangea, which will make it possible for me to define this extremely rare plant precisely, in the next number of my Fragmenta.4

Hoping that you may long enjoy a quiet and happy autumn of your life, I remain most respectfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Apart from Carnarvonia and Helicia ternifolia none of the Proteaceae I sent have so far been illustrated.5

 

Carnarvonia

Helicia ternifolia

Proteaceae

Strangea

 
1
Not identified.
2
By 1871 these were: Buckinghamia, Cardwellia, Carnarvonia, Darlingia, Macadamia,and Strangea.
3
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 5, pp. 315-584 treated the Proteaceae. M is probably referring to the fact that a very large number of the names recorded there were by Meisner, mainly from Meisner (1853) and Meisner (1855), with some from Meisner (1856/7). M used the naming of plants as a form of memorial in other contexts, for example in M to G. Bentham, 5 November 1873, where Bentham is identified as one of the few for whom 'all over the globe nearly every square mile of land bore plants established scientifically by them'.
4
Strangea cynanchocarpa (B71.07.01, p. 132).
5
Carnarvonia aralifolia was illustrated in Plates LV and LVI of Fragmenta vol. 6, with description in B67.12.01, p. 81; Helicia ternifolia was illustrated as Macadamia ternifolia in Plate 2 accompanying B57.09.04, p. 72; M redescribed it as Helicia ternifolia in B60.08.01, p. 91.

Please cite as “FVM-71-02-18,” 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 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/71-02-18