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From Robert Fitzgerald to Ferdinand von Mueller   28 Nov 1872

Survey Office1

28th Novr 72

Dear Sir

I send you by this days steamer, a flower and portion of an opened bud of a Phaius distinct I think from grandifolius and possibly from others (as P Burnaisii?2 of which I have no description) I obtained the plant at the McLeay river as also P. grandifolius(?)

The points of peculiarity noticed by me are as follow That the flowers are much smaller and do not agree in color. The petals are more acute and appear to remain induplicate. The column is very short and broader than in P grandifolius(?) and is winged. The spur has two very small spurs at the extremity and the flowers stand at right angles to the stem and are always inverted, the labellum being at the top. A peculiarity which gives a very distinct appearance to the spike of flowers

The habits of the plants seems to be much the same, except that (for the one example) the flower stem is not nearly so robust or tall in the new(?) species

Yours truly

Robt D Fitzgerald

Phaius Burnaisii

Phaius grandifolius

1

Sydney.

2

P. Bernaysii? Fitzgerald's question-mark is interlined.

3

MS found with a specimen of Phaius sp. (MEL 2153899). Annotation by M: 'Answ 8/12/72 FvM'. Letter not found.

Please cite as “FVM-72-11-28,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/72-11-28