From George Bentham   13 January 1873

25, WILTON PLACE. S.W.

Jany 13 1873¹

My dear Sir

Since I last wrote a box has been dispatched to you containing the whole of the remainder of your Dicotyledons including the supplemental parcels lately received. I found but little among the latter to add to what I had done before. Two or perhaps three additional Euphorbiaceae from Dallachy, amongst them one which I have called Macaranga subdentata which I may have confounded with M. inamoena in the former parcels and may be only a variety — additional specimens coming after a genus has been worked up are not very satisfactory as they occasion a great deal of waste of time in going over again the ground that has been already worked up and I have therefore passed over without detailed examination a great many specimens which have appeared to me identical with species already described but require dissection to ascertain that identity. Amongst the Thymeleae was a new and very marked Pimelea from Queensland which you had referred to P. spicata but is very different in the perianth and in some other respects. In a parcel received by the last mail was a Phyllanthus (sect Synostemon) from Lachlan River Lockhart Moreton — a male specimen of which I had already received a female one from Mr Prentice from Brisbane and which is new.²

I commence printing the 6th vol immediately. I am now in the midst of Orchideae and have got through Oberonia Liparis Dendrobium Bolbophyllum. Hitherto I find the species well marked but I fear the terrestrial ones will be much more difficult However so much has been done by Brown Lindley yourself young Reichenbach and others that I hope to get through much more rapidly than with some of the previous Orders

I trust that in pursuance of my Novr letter³ you have kindly dispatched the remaining Monocotyledons with inferior ovaries — Apostasieae Burmanniaceae including Tacca, Hydrocharidae Scitamineae Irideae Amaryllideae Haemodoraceae Hypoxideae and Dioscoreae — and I doubt whether I may not have to include also the Apocarpous Orders Alismaceae etc & the Aroid group for the Dicotyledons will barely make up half the volume.

I found with the specimens that came by the last mail a note to you from Queensland about the missing copies of my 5th volume.⁴ I wrote to the Government Secretary of Queensland about them last summer and can only repeat what I said then showing that the matter is entirely out of my hands[.]⁵ I have been again to the publishers and to the Queensland Agent to verify the facts and repeat the statement of them in the enclosed loose sheet⁶

I begin now to feel very impatient to get to the end of this Flora for I am old and feel that my faculties may soon be impaired. I fear however that after this sixth volume I shall have again to pause as I have engaged to finish the Brasilian Leguminosae (Mimoseae) for Eichler⁷ — and I must do my part of Genera Plantarum. The printing of the new part proceeds steadily but slowly the 24th sheet is in type but there are still 6 or 7 to print. I will send you a copy as soon as it is out.⁸

Ever my dear Sir

Yours sincerely

George Bentham

Baron v. Mueller

Alismaceae

Amaryllideae

Apostasieae

Bolbophyllum

Burmanniaceae

Dendrobium

Dioscorea

Euphorbiaceae

Haemodoraceae

Hydrocharidae

Hypoxideae

Irideae

Leguminosae

Liparis

Macaranga inamoena

Macaranga subdentata

Mimoseae

Oberonia

Orchideae

Phyllanthus sect.Synostemon

Pimelea spicata

Scitaminae

Tacca

Thymeleae