To George Bentham1    10 June 1876

10/6/76.

 

As you have done with the Liliaceae, dear Mr Bentham,2 I will make arrangements for the despatch of the Cyperaceae (2 large cases) at an early date.

I cannot see, why the Restiaceae should occupy you long, after the most careful research bestowed by me already on them. Indeed so great has been my care given to that order of plants, that I must in justice claim the quotation of the pages of the fragmenta under the respective species.3

I have again demanded the Palms for you from Mr Wendland,4 who has them since half a dozen years. I have not even yet seen a single copy of the print on them by Dr Drude and Mr Wendland,5 but I told Drude & Grisebach,6 that though S[c]heffer7 followed similar views yet I could not see any advantages in the needless multiplication of genera, when all really good research of recent times tended to simplify them.

At last, as the proverb says, we shall not be able to see the forest for trees, standing in the way.

With best regards

Ferd von Mueller.

 

Cyperaceae

Liliaceae

Restiaceae

1
MS black edged; M's brother-in-law, Eduard Wehl, died on 11 February 1876.
2
See G. Bentham to M, 13 April 1876.
3
M's major treatment of the Restiaceae is in B73.08.01, pp. 64-101. Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, pp. 208-46 cited M's treatment. See also Lucas (2003).
4
Letter not found.
5
Wendland & Drude (1875).
6
Letters not found.
7
Probably Scheffer (1872).

Please cite as “FVM-76-06-10b,” 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 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/76-06-10b