To George Bentham   31 August 1873

Melbourne

31/8/73.

It was with much delight, dear Mr Bentham , that I got and perused the 5 new sheets of the 6th volume.¹ How it was possible for you, amidst the enormous work, entailed by the publication of the genera of the Compositae,² to get along so fast with this volume also, is quite an enigma to me. I note down for you some remarks, which may be useful for a supplemental volume.

Acalypha eremorum was named by myself, and under that designation sent to Geneve. I adopted the specific name in counter-designation of A. nemorum.³

Adriana Dampieri. On this I offered special remarks in the essay on F. Gregorys N.W. Australian plants, published in the Bot. Soc. of Edinburgh many years ago. I have however not the volume at hand to quote the page.⁴

Mallotus Chinensis is the name that ought (in my opinion) to remain. I see no reason whatever for the restoration of a specific name, adopted in a wrong genus.⁵

Sebastiana Chamelaea. The location Baines Creek (a tributary of the Victoria River, explored by myself) is in Arnhem's Land not in Queensland.⁶

Trema aspera is very poisonous to pastoral animals.⁷

Ficus magnifolia was so named by me. In my correspondence with Mr Fitzalan he received the name for this species and — of course — utilized it. I believe, that I am the only one who ever used that expression, as grandifolia is the equivalent general appellation. This fact is a collateral evidence, that the name did not arise with Mr Fitzalan.⁸

Ficus coronulata. I saw it on some of the western Rivers of Carpentaria also.⁹ When travelling for thousands of miles with packhorses, it is impossible to burden them with specimens of the same species from many localities.

Ficus aspera is in reality a Victor. species also.¹⁰ It rarely varies with lanceolate leaves with long narrow lateral lobes at the base.

Ficus glomerata. I do not think, that it is a strictly speaking Carpentaria plant,¹¹ nor do I remember it from Arnhem's land. In our hungry state we vividly looked for it first on the Gilbert-River! and I have a note of my finding it on the upper part of that River on the 26th Sept 1856.¹² Leichhardt — I think — records it only from East Australia. Mr Flood told me, that he saw it on Quail Island, but he may have seen an allied species

Australina pusilla var Muelleri occurs 4000' high in the Austral alps. It seems a pity to quote the synonym, which was hurriedly printed in my first list and soon subsequently altered. I never published a Description¹³

Casuarina quadrivalvis. it seems safer to give up the misleading name C. stricta, especially as it has so long been used for an other plant. The tree is common in Vict. & S. Australia.¹⁴

Casuarina suberosa. Exceedingly common in Victoria, but not occurring in S. Australia.¹⁵

Casuarina distyla. Also common in Victoria and S. Australia.¹⁶

Casuarina torulosa I have even sought in vain in East Gippsland. It not being a Victorian species, it can not be one of S. Australia. Indeed in my 5 years travels there I never saw it. So either R Brown must have misplaced a Port Jackson specimen and wrote Port Lincoln on it, or — what is less likely — C. humilis crosses the country of the Great Bight and reappears in Spencers Gulf and was taken there as C. torulosa¹⁷

Casuarina Decaisneana! Mr Giles saw it in masses about MacDonnells Range¹⁸ It is the only Casuarina of Central Australia; the outposts or sentries of the Army only were met by me on Sturt's Creek. It is one of the finest trees of the Central regions of this Continent. Mr Giles is instructed to procure seeds and trace its western limit.¹⁹

Casuarina acuaria. I gave a lithogram of this in my fragm.²⁰

I thank you for all the kind consideration shown by you in these pages towards me again.

your

Ferd von Mueller.

Acalypha eremorum

Acalypha nemorum

Adriana Dampieri

Australina pusilla var Muelleri

Casuarina torulosa

Casuarina acuaria

Casuarina Decaisneana

Casuarina distyla

Casuarina humilis

Casuarina quadrivalvis

Casuarina stricta

Casuarina suberosa

Compositae

Ficus aspera

Ficus coronulata

Ficus glomerata

Ficus magnifolia

Mallotus Chinensis

Sebastiana Chamelaea

Trema aspera