Report of Baron von Mueller, F.R.S., &c.
The collection of plants brought together by Signor D'Albertis1 during his last expedition to New Guinea is of particular interest, inasmuch as thus for the first time an insight into the vegetation of the more central portions of New Guinea is obtained. But since the distinguished Italian traveller, with the means at his command could not extend his explorations beyond the country along the Fly River only plants of a strictly intratropical type, and mainly indicative of a jungle vegetation came within his reach. It seems that no Alpine forms of plants descend to that river, as far as it was followed by Signor D'Albertis; nor shows by the material, kindly submitted to me, any repetition of the Australian types, which some other portion of South-Eastern Papua, have brought to light, except two species of phyllodinous Acaciae, both distinct from A. Simoii.2 This almost entire absence of Australian forms in these newly traversed lines, may perhaps be accounted for by geologic circumstances. But now for the first time are added to the hitherto recorded genera of New Guinea plants, Gompharena,3 Grewia, Melhania, Muhlenbergia, Connarus, Terminalia, Cynometra, Pipturus, Codiaeum, Ceratophyllum, Jussiaea, Alstonia, Coleus, Vandellia, Limnanthemum, Calanthe, Eurycles, Costus, Schelhammeria, Dracaena, Hypaelytum,4 Phragmitis,5 Paspalum, Lycopodium, Helminthostachys, Gleichenia. The collection contains also species representing the following genera: — Myristica (nutmeg), Wormia, Pittosporum, Elaeocarpus, Hibiscus, Dysoxylon, Harpullia, Vitis, Semecarpus, Marenga, Phyllanthus, Piper, Albizza, Mucuna, Ferns, Eugenia, Barringtonia, Gardenia, Psychotria, Ixora, Plectronia, Myrmecodia, Ipomaea, Maba, Alstonia, Tabermaemontana, Maeasa6, Coleus, Clerodendron, Solanum, Tournefortia, Cycas, Freycinetia, Flagellaria, Calamus, Pothos, Cordyline, Scleria, Kyllingia, Hypaelytum, Panicum, Coix, Leptaspis. Besides, there are also representatives of other genera, belonging to Anonaceae, Menispermaceae, Rutaceae, Laurinaceae, Melastomaceae, Myrtaceae, Araliaceae, Urticaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Acanthaceae, Gesneriaceae, Orchidaceae, and Palms; but to define the species of these and to contrast them with allied forms of other tropical regions, especially of the Sunda Islands, the Philippines and Polynesia will require careful investigations, the results of which will be promulgated in the succeeding pages of the publication on "Papuan Plants." As specially noteworthy on this occasion already may be mentioned a Sapotacious tree with edible fruit. Two Begonias (one with spotted leaves), a grand Hibiscus, and several Amaranthaceous and Scitamineous plants of horticultural importance, further a Nepenthes (Pitcher-plant) distinct from N. Kennedii.7
Melbourne, December, 1876.
Acacia Simoii
Acanthaceae
Albizza
Alstonia
Anonaceae
Araliaceae
Barringtonia
Begonia
Calamus
Calanthe
Ceratophyllum
Coix
Clerodendron
Codiaeum
Coleus
Connarus
Cordyline
Costus
Cycas
Cynometra
Dracaena
Dysoxylon
Eugenia
Elaeocarpus
Euphorbiaceae
Eurycles
Flagellaria
Freycinetia
Gardenia
Gesneriaceae
Gleichenia
Gompharena
Grewia
Harpullia
Helminthostachys
Hibiscus
Hypaelytum
Ipomaea
Ixora
Jussiaea
Kyllingia
Laurinaceae
Leptaspis
Limnanthemum
Lycopodium
Maba
Maeasa
Marenga
Melastomaceae
Melhania
Menispermaceae
Mucuna
Muhlenbergia
Myristica
Myrmecodia
Myrtaceae
Nepenthes Kennedii
Orchidaceae
Panicum
Paspalum
Phragmitis
Phyllanthus
Piper
Pipturus
Pittosporum
Plectronia
Pothos
Psychotria
Rutaceae
Schelhammeria
Scleria
Semecarpus
Solanum
Tabermaemontana
Terminalia
Tournefortia
Urticaceae
Vandellia
Vitis
Wormia
Luigi Maria d'Albertis.
Typesetter’s error for A. Simsii?
Typesetter's error for Gomphraena?
Typesetter's error for Hypaelyptum?
Typesetter's error for Phragmites?
Typesetter's error for Maesa?
N. Kennedyi?
Original report not found. The text given here is from 'Report of Baron von Mueller, F.R.S., &c', Sydney mail, 20 January 1877, p. 76 (B77.01.01), an appendix to Albertis (1877), translated by 'George Bennett, M.D. F.L.S.' [i.e. George Bennett, d. 1893]. Both the journal and M's report, and Bennett's introduction, appear within 'New Guinea: exploration of the Fly River, New Guinea', pp. 74-6. In his introduction, Bennett wrote that the living plants collected by d'Albertis were presented to the Sydney Botanic Garden and that
the collection of dried plants together with fruits and flowers of those which only could be preserved in spirits, were forwarded to Baron von Mueller, at Melbourne, who, as will be seen in the appendix, speaks very highly of the collection, and is now engaged in identifying and describing them in his forthcoming fourth [B76.12.03] and subsequent parts of the Papuan Plants.
Please cite as “FVM-76-12-00b,” 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