The discovery of Banksia, as demonstrated by the collection of fruit, modifies my remarks in reference to the non-Australian type of the vegetation of the Fly River.1 Among the fruits is a new Sloanea, with very large dark red fruit, much like those of Sloanea Jamaciensis.2 I have named it S. paradiseanum,3 as doubtless it is frequented by the paradise birds, who may feed upon the edible seeds. Among the fruits I found those of Nageia, indicative of cooler regions, being coniferous. The collections also contain Heptapleurum. The fruits in alcohol and the dried seeds were well worth examining, and although in the absence of flowers, we must be careful in dealing with such material closely for scientific purposes, yet it has enabled me to add Garcinia, Flindersia, Sideroxylon, Banksia, Heritiera to the genera of Mr. D'Albertis' plants. A number of new genera have also been added to the collection which will appear in the forthcoming parts of the Papuan plants.
Banksia
Flindersia
Garcinia
Heptapleurum
Heritiera
Sideroxylon
Nageia
Sloanea Jamaciensis
Sloanea paradiseanum
In his report on the plants (B77.01.01 &c), published as an appendix to the newspaper version of D'Albertis's journal (Albertis (1877)) and included in the pamphlet at pp. 32-3, M wrote of the 'almost entire absence of Australian forms in these newly traversed lines [of exploration]'.
S. jamaiciensis?
See B77.02.01, p. 84.
Letter not found. The text given here is from Albertis (1877a), p. 35 (B77.13.12). It is introduced by 'The following extract from letters sent by the Baron to Dr. George Bennett since the publication of the 4th Part of the Papuan plants, gives further information on the plants collected by Mr. D'Albertis:' Part 4 of Descriptive notes on Papuan plants (B76.12.03) was published in December 1876, and D'Albertis's journal is dated 15 January [1877]. The pamphlet has material on pp. 33-43 that was not included in Albertis (1877) (including a reprint pp. 33-35 of an unsigned review of B76.12.03 from Sydney mail and New South Wales advertiser, 17 February 1877, p. 200,) but the month of publication of the pamphlet has not been found. The letter is dated to April 1877 as the latest date that it could have been written in time for Bennett to prepare the text for publication before he left Sydney on 7 April for London via San Francisco ('Shipping', Sydney morning herald, 7 April 1877. p. 4), not returning until April 1879 (Australasian (Melbourne), 26 April 1879, p. 526.
Note that the introduction to the extract implies that it is derived from more than one letter.
Please cite as “FVM-77-04-00c,” 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