Melbourne bot. Garden
15/12/71.
I believe, dear Dr Hector, it has been overlooked to acknowledge your generous gift of the fern trees.
As a rule (even on Sunday & Holy days) I leave only at a late night hour my writing table, so heavy is the correspondence in my department, & thus it happens, that very often I am uncertain whether I replied to any communication or whether it was left undone with a mere intention, and before the books of the Department are consulted, it might be lost sight of the matter altogether.
So please accept this tardy, yet at the same time grateful acknowledgement.
The supposed stems of Cyathea medullaris seemed to me those of C. Smithii, which indeed is still more valuable
I hope Mr Travers will come home loaded with treasures and allow me to work out the plants systematically. I am quite willing to purchase a set, also to purchase some of his zoological & anthropologic gatherings.1
With best regards
Baron Ferd. von Mueller
Cyathea medullaris
Cyathea Smithii
M was sent a set of plants collected by H. Travers from Chatham Islands for naming and report. See R. Gore to M, 72-04-09 (in this edition as 72-04-09a).
Please cite as “FVM-71-12-15a,” 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