To George Bentham   28 November 1876

28/11/76

 

The Gramineae are gone since some time, dear Mr Bentham, by the "Shannon", and the Filices shall soon follow. By all means let General Munro have a full set or any duplicates of my Gramineae.1 I grant this with all pleasure, not only because he is a careful worker, but because he does not take undue advantage of the work, merit and observations of others. What an advantage to every country of the globe it will be, when his universal treatment of the Grasses does appear.2 I think, that I mentioned before, that I changed my view on the sepaline nature of the bracteoles or ultimate bracts of gramineae since I worked on Cyperaceae, and I have expressed myself to this effect at page 282 of vol VIII of the fragmenta already.3

At last this month's mail brought me Drude's & Wendlands dissertation on my Palms.4 The limitation of the genera is too narrow, as you will likely observe by a mere walk through the Kew palm-house. What an unnecessary burden to the memory such superfluity of genera! How many intermediate species among such genera may still be discovered. I do not know, at what date or even year this publication of W. & D. appeared; but it must have been later than when I made my last remarks on Palms, wherein I brought myself Kentia Moorei5 to Clinostigma,6 if that genus should be adopted. It seems strange, that these authors do not quote the note. As for Livistona Ramsayi it has no resemblance to L. inermis; the leaves indeed are like those of Licuala peltata and Corypha [T]aliera; but with short indentations only, not cleft. Should not Licuala be reduced to Livistona? Can you kindly tell me, when Wendland's & Drude's paper did appear?

Regardfully

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Zannichellia macrostemon has a 4-celled anther. Hence Lepilaena may form a section only.

Assuredly palms have as little petals as Junceae.

You will have observed that Scheffer has brought Laccospadix to Calyptrocalyx.7

 

Calyptrocalyx

Clinostigma

Corypha Taliera

Cyperaceae

Filices

Gramineae

Junceae

Kentia Moorei

Laccospadix

Lepilaena

Licuala peltata

Livistona inermis

Livistona Ramsayi

Zannichellia macrostemon

1
See G. Bentham to M, 20 September 1876.
2
Monro died in retirement at Taunton (Somerset) before the projected work could be completed; see Gardeners' chronicle, n.s., vol. 13 (1880) p. 169.
3
B74.13.01, under Stipa aristiglumis.
4
Wendland & Drude (1875).
5
Kentia mooreana?
6
B74.09.02, p. 234-5.
7
Scheffer (1876).

Please cite as “FVM-76-11-28,” 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 30 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/76-11-28