To Alphonse de Candolle   5 June 1877

Melbourne

5/6/77.

 

Being aware, dear and honored Sir, that you have sought the aid of phytographers in the elucidation of the plants for your series of monographie's, I beg to ask, whether you would entrust the elaboration of the xerocarpic myrtaceae to my care. Altho only about 30 species have been added to the Australian xerocarpic Myrtaceae since under my aid Benthams elaboration for the third volume of the flora Australiensis did appear,1 yet numerous additional observations on the geographic range of the species, on their characteristic diagnosis &c are to be recorded, irrespective of many errors, which crept into the Flora Australiensis. To finish the Myrtaceae as a whole, would of course require a special worker for the chylocarpic2 genera, which perhaps your excellent son3 would find interesting, more particularly as Berg's4 disquisition of the Brazilian Myrtaceae needs a careful revision. Should you think a contribution of mine acceptable, then pray tell me, how much time you would grant me. There are several small orders or tribes which I could manage also, such as Philydreae &c.5

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

I do not yet exactly know the plan, adopted for the monograms.

 

Myrtaceae

Philydreae

 
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, pp. 185-261.
chymocarpic? See Berg (1857-9), col. 633.
Casimir de Candolle.
Berg (1857-9).
M renewed his offer in M to A. de Candolle, 24 October 1878.

Please cite as “FVM-77-06-05,” 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 29 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/77-06-05