From Frederick Bailey1    1 January 1875

Boundary Street

Brisbane

Jany 1st 1875

Baron F v Mueller

Melbourne

 

My dear Sir

The complements of the season to you, may it be a happy and prosperous one to you. I have just sent in my report and have as in duty bound acknowledge[d]2 my indebtedness for your kind assistance —

The enclosed specimen of what I take to be your Bolbophyllum nematopodum is from a plant now at Bowen Park.3 I sent it from Cardwell.4 The flower I forward is the only one I have ever seen — If not the above which it […] not bear out all the description have you named it?

I found it at the top of range Dalrymples Gap5 — growing on the Sheaoaks (Casuarinas) its creeping rhizome at times reaching to I should say 5-6 feet the whole length well leaved leaves single at a distance of say 2-3 inches from each other. Notice the peduncle is very short and covered with sheathing obtuse or apiculate bracts the whole flower is speckled with purple both inside and out — color of outside of sepals greenish yellow inside white petals white The leaf I forward is somewhat smaller & narrower than they are generally never lanceolate always obtuse6 — I have given you the above remarks to assist in comparing with other specimens all else you will find from the specimens sent and after all I believe it a new species of Bolbophyllum

I forgot to say that the labellum is very loosely articulated, moveable quite as much so as Drakaea irritabilis. And also lies in the notch between the two lateral sepals and reflexed behind them, and at the time of flowering is at the top of the flower

Ever your obliged

F. M. Bailey

 

Bolbophyllum nematopodum

Casuarina

Drakaea irritabilis

MS black edged.
Word runs off page.
The Queensland Acclimatisation Society’s ground in Brisbane.
Qld.
Qld.
never lanceolate always obtuse interlined .

Please cite as “FVM-75-01-01,” 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 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/75-01-01