25. WILTON PLACE. S.W.
London
Jany 25 /72
My dear Sir
I write you a few lines to say that I have duly received the £100 contributed by your Government towards the 6th vol. and that I am progressing with the work although not so rapidly as I should have done had I not still much dabbling to be got through with in doubtful Compositae1 about which I have written to correspondents’ abroad[.]2 I have done Thymeleae I think I have succeeded in distributing the Pimeleas into six3 good sections 1 Thecanthes 2 Eupimelea Per.4 not circumsciss containing the N. Zealand species and P. alpina P. cinerea and P. Milligani from Australia 3 Heterolaena differing from Eupimelea in habit foliage and probably in the narrow cotyledons species all Western 4 Calyptrostegia Per. circumsciss Fl.5 hermaphrodite or female by abortion species numerous E. and W. 5 Mallistachys flowers strictly dioecious ♀ per circumsciss ♀— P. argentea and P. clavata 6 Dithalamia Flowers strictly dioecious ♀ per with small persistent lobes close above the ovary — P. axiflora leptospermoides microcephala pauciflora elachantha pygmaea serpyllifolia flava petrophila
7 Epallage Flowers usually of Calyptrostegia but anthers with a broad connection bearing the cells on the inner face — (in all the other tribes the anther cells are very distinct when open placed back to back on a narrow connective) — P. Bowmanni ammocharis curviflora hirsuta altior octophylla petraea phylicoides Eyrei longiflora stricta Preissii & Holroydi[.] I am obliged to adopt the name of Phaleria for Drymispermum[.] I think also that Wikstromia has good claims to be kept up as a distinct genus from Daphne.
I have also done Thesium Choretrum Leptomeria and Omphacomeria the three last genera readily recognised by their inflorescence as well as by the structural characters Omphacomeria psilotoides is as you say your Leptomeria glomerata6 as to the Tasmanian plant which is a true Leptomeria the PJ7 plant is a true Omphacomeria with 5 clustered flowers only perhaps a variety only of O. acerba which I find always unisexual the ♀ flowers with empty anthers and 2 lobed stigma always solitary the ♂ without ovary and an obtuse or scarcely notched style always clustered
Your Choretrum oxycladum must be a mistake On examining the fl. of your specimens I find them ♂ with a valvate 5 parted perianth and a central cluster of very numerous stamens. It must be Euphorbiaceous and I hope to identify it when I come to that Order
Yours in haste
George Bentham
Bn8 F. v. Mueller
Calyptrostegia
Choretrum
Choretrum oxycladum
Compositae
Daphne
Dithalamia
Drymispermum
Eupimelea
Heterolaena
Leptomeria glomerata
Mallistachys
Omphacomeria acerba
Omphacomeria psilotoides
Phaleria
Pimelea alpina
Pimelea altior
Pimelea ammocharis
Pimelea argentea
Pimelea axiflora
Pimelea Bowmanni
Pimelea cinerea
Pimelea clavata
Pimelea curviflora
Pimelea elachantha
Pimelea Eyrei
Pimelea flava
Pimelea hirsuta
Pimelea Holroydi
Pimelea longiflora
Pimelea microcephala
Pimelea Milligani
Pimelea octophylla
Pimelea petraea
Pimelea petrophila
Pimelea phylicoides
Pimelea Preissii
Pimelea pygmaea
Pimelea serpyllifolia
Pimelea stricta
Thecanthes
Thesium
Thymeleae
Wikströmia
Source of comment not identified.
My guess is that it would be a note with a specimen. The M specimen listed at Kew does not have such a note.
Please cite as “FVM-72-01-25a,” 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 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/72-01-25a