From Charles Prentice to Ferdinand von Mueller   1 Mar 1874

March 1. 1874

Brisbane

Dear Baron.

Many thanks for the scrap of Elytrophorus, which I have not seen in this neighbourhood; have you a similar scrap of Lappago? I had one of the genus among my European grasses, but these & many books were parted with, when I left England — I went through all the Australian grasses in Mr Browns herbarium in 1869,¹ but the genus Andropogon was imperfect, both there, in the general Museum Coll. & at Kew; Andropogon procerus, was not in any of them I think; the Museum herbarium is woefully imperfect except perhaps in Proteaceae, Mr Browns favourite family, and they seem massed in Western Australia, where creative activity must have been at one time marvellously developed.

Dr Hooker's election to the Pr R. S.² was decided by other than scientific reasons I think; it is of course indispensable that any person holding the position should be willing & able to play the Amphytrion; & there was no doubt a further desire to vindicate him against Mr Ayrton's insolence,³ which culminated in calling him a 'market gardener'. In Newton's time the scientific reasons would be paramount, though even in his case, the large house in Leicester sq.⁴ which he inhabited was well able to receive guests, and while he was Master of the Mint he almost ceased his scientific inquiries.

How came you to let Mr Bentham unite in print Tamarindus indicus, and make Hibiscus masculine throughout, while the correct feminine termination is preserved in Citrus &c?: the reviews don't meddle with botanical works now as they did when the Edinburgh criticised Mr Browns curious mistakes in the Prodromus when it appeared in 1810.⁵

I enclose a single frond of an Asplenium, closely allied to A. attenuatum,⁶ which grows in a single Logan⁷ locality, in dense shade & rooting proliferously; you may have received it from others, but this locality is known only to my self; I gave Mr Bailey a frond or two as he requested & he may have sent it to you: it is near apparently to A. paleaceum, but seems different, particularly in the narrow lanceate frond, and the long [caudate terminitiva]. A. attenuatum is common in the same district.

My example with leaves of Arthrochilus grew in a mess of wet charcoal, and may owe its leaves to the manuring in stimulating properties of the charred wood; perhaps Mr Fitzgeralds may have been similarly circumstanced: it is very abundant this year.

Yours sincerely

Chas: Prentice

I have noticed lately what looks like a pubescent Paspalum, growing in wet or rather damp black soil, and which seems very local. I will enclose an example if I can find one suitable — also an Acacia⁸ which I formerly referred to A. linifolia, but differs in the torulose pod, & the drooping branches. Nor can I after the utmost care safely refer it to any in the second vol. of the Fl. Australiensis,⁹ though it partakes of the character of several, the flowers are very fragrant like those of suaveolens; it is a tall shrub, and decidedly local, while A. linifolia is common in several places, always however near the river banks, which this does not frequent.

There is a form too of Zornia, which I suppose is referable to the var. tenuis, but looks distinct enough from the common var. in the much smaller flowers, & […] foliage, differing as much as Lotus hispidus differs from Lotus tenuis.

Acacia linifolia

Acacia suaveolens

Arthrochilus

Andropogon procerus

Asplenium attenuatum

Asplenium paleaceum

Citrus

Elytrophorus

Hibiscus

Lappago

Lotus hispidus

Lotus tenuis

Paspalum

Proteaceae

Tamarindus indicus

Zornia