From Daniel Sullivan to Ferdinand von Mueller   [1873]

Moyston1

Sunday

Sir F. Baron Von Mueller

Dear Sir

I thank your very much for naming the plants for me. I have made a diligent search for Leptorrhynchus elongatus, but so far unsuccessful. There only appears to be three species in the vicinity of the Township viz. L. squamatus, L. tenuifolia,2 & L. medius. L. medius is, I think, always annual, but if it should turn out otherwise I will let you know.

Galium Australe, and, in fact, all the species with which I am acquainted give yellowish white flowers. Fruit specimens herewith — some ripe & others not. A little later I will send more.

Your other wants as regards fruit specimens I will, if possible, supply in due time.

Calotis Anthemoides is not yet ripe.

I must have made some mistake respecting Lept. elongatus in Oct. 1872, as my specimens of that date turn out to be L. medius.

The plant will not be lost sight of by me during my walks in the bush.

With best respects

I remain, Dear Sir,

Yours faithfully

D. Sullivan.

Calotis Anthemoides

Galium Australe

Leptorrhynchus elongatus

Leptorrhynchus medius

Leptorrhynchus squamatus

Leptorrhynchus tenuifolia

Vic.

L. tenuifolius?

MS found with a specimen of Galium murale (MEL 2265782).

Dating is very uncertain. Sullivan was at Moyston from 1868 until his death in 1895; there is no fruit specimen of Calotis anthemoides at MEL recorded as from Sullivan to suggest a probable end date but the reference to the October 1872 collection of Leptorrhynchus medius implies a date later than that. There are no later Sullivan specimens of L. elongatus (AVH accessed 2 June 2023). The item is therefore dated to 1873 as the earliest likely date that it could have been written.

Please cite as “FVM-73-00-00e,” 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/73-00-00e