From Edward Ramsay   26 June 1874

Dobroyde

June 26 - 1874

To the Baron Von Mueller

Melbourne

My dear Dr Mueller

I trust you will not think I am encroaching too much on your good nature in asking you to name a few palm seeds for me. I have lately returned from a 6 mo trip Botanising &c in the Rockingham Bay district and am about to return to finish an exploring trip from Cardwell to the Endeavour¹ The object is to find a road from the Daintree River to the Palmer Goldfields & I am taking a large party with me. I have made considerable collections which will be […]ted to you for the benefit of science, as soon as I have time to get them [down], in the mean time for commercial purposes it is necessary for me to give the names of the Palms I have collected and am offering for sale, and I would deem it a particular favor if you would let me know the names as soon as possible — some of then I know & so I only send those I do not know.

No 1. Ptychsoperma from Rockhampton said to be Pt. alexandrae, the under surface of the young plants are silvery- or glaucus-white, and are very similar to

No 2 which is a very tall thin stemed sp. — under surface silvery, flower stem pendulous always 2 one on each side of trunk at base of fronds as usual, seed bright crimson small & oval ²

No 3. Ptychosperma sp. Sent as Pt. alexandrae from one Hartmann a collector near Toowoomba Queensland, about 100 miles or more inland from Brisbane ³

No 4 This is what we know here as Seaforthia elegans — or Ptychosperma cunninghami ⁴ is it correctly named — the plant is common in the Illawarra district⁵

No 5. A most beautiful Fan Palm from Dalrymples Gap—where your Collector Dallichy⁶ was collecting so long nr. Cardwell ⁷ Some of the fronds were 6 feet in diameter — seeds round, crimson fronds almost peltate —margins [erregual]⁸ slightly & bluntly serrate — base of petiole having scattered thorns⁹

6) I also found a large sp of Callamus ¹⁰ with long needle shaped spines at the base of fronds and a small species with

7) short prickles but no long thin spines as in No 7¹¹ — both these species are quite distinct from the Richmond River¹² Callamus, (australis (?)

I found Kentia Wendlandtiana¹³ and a sp of Corypha, more dwarf but similar to our C. (Livistonia¹⁴) australis — both these latter sp are scarce on the Herbert River — But Ptychosperma No 2 is the most common Palm in the district — — 

Should you desire I can send you seeds of all these —

I met with 3 distinct sp of Pandanus 2 Cycas, Bowenia F.v[M].¹⁵ and a great many other beautiful¹⁶ beautiful¹⁷ plants — For particularly among the Filices and allied groups — Tree ferns Orchids & Cycads, Katakidozamiae,¹⁸ Boweniae, I have been collecting largely as objects of merchandize and exchange. I could supply large quantities at very cheap rates — both stems of all sizes and seeds of all kinds I have fine Cycads 10 feet in height brought down last year now growing well in the open air — Last season I introduced from England 200 species of (new) Plants not hitherto offered for sale in the colonies; From Erfurt Prussia 25 varieties, America over 50, North Aust 150, including Palms Cycads and ferns, in addition to your valuable donations from the Bot. Gardens — If there is anything I can [...] do for you during my next tour on N E Coast of […] I trust you will let me know as soon as possible as I may return at any time now — I hope you will not consider me troublesome if I ask you to send me the names of the Palms as soon as convenient, as I have many orders to execute for seeds and cannot send any away untill I have the names

Seeds for Post this day —

I remain my dear

dr Mueller

yours very truly

Edward P. Ramsay¹⁹

Bowenia

Callamus australis

Corypha australis

Cycas

Katakidozamia

Kentia Wendlandtiana

Livistonia australis

Pandanus

Ptychosperma cunninghami

Ptychsoperma alexandrae