From George Bentham   June 1876

25, WILTON PLACE. S.W.

London

June 1876¹

My dear Sir

During a short visit I lately paid to Paris² a second box of your Monocotyledons was I am informed sent off to you from Kew and the bill of lading duly forwarded to you by post.³ I trust you will have received it safely

Since my return I have done the Aroideae. I have ascertained that the leaves which Brown mistook for those of Dracontium belong to the Brachyspatha variabilis which is Schultz's n. 562 from Port Darwin — the leaf in your herbarium which you thought might be Brown's plant is I think that of Tacca pinnatifida — The leaves of Dracontium and Brachyspatha are so much alike as to be distinguishable only by a close examination of the venation

I have some difficulty in identifying some of Brown's Monocotyledons from his not having always revised his labels after the publication of the Prodromus⁴ but with some study I think I clear them up pretty well. Several of his Eriocaulons are neither in your collection nor in that of Kew

I have a few small families to finish up and in a few days hope to attack the Restiaceae

In the box sent you will find a copy of the new part of Genera Plantarum⁵ I hope some Australian botanists may order the work which is a heavy expense to us

I trust that by the time you receive this you will have kindly sent off the Cyperaceae and Gramineae for which I hope to be ready in the course of September

Yours very truly

George Bentham

Baron F. v. Mueller

Aroideae

Brachyspatha variabilis

Cyperaceae

Dracontium

Eriocaulon

Gramineae

Restiaceae

Tacca pinnatifida