Melbourne,
12/7/75.
I was pleased, dear Mons Boissier, to receive by last mail your letter of the 20. April,1 in which you desire me to send you Australian species of Epilobium for your forthcoming monography of this genus.2
We have in Australia probably only one species, and perhaps even all the New Zealand species have to be reduced to one, as I have done in my little work on "the Vegetation of the Chatham-Islands," published 12 years ago.3
This species is extremely variable, as it is one of the few plants, which gradually adscends to the glaciers of the alps, and also gradually advances into the desert.
In my normal collection, formed in Australia since 1847 I have but few duplicates. These I have taken out, and I will forward them to you either by post or through the intermediation of Dr W. O. Sonder of Hamburg. I am however willing to let you have the loan of my whole normal collection of Epilobium, as well the Extra-australian as Australian ones, if you will give me the adress of a London Agent, to whom my parcel could be sent, and if you will return the whole to me and not keep them too long.
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller
Epilobium
Please cite as “FVM-75-07-12,” 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