To George Bentham   10 June 1878

10/6/78.

 

I am not certain, dear Mr Bentham, whether I drew your attention to the fact, that Macadamia verticillata is probably identical with Brabejum stellatifolium. Never since I obtained in 1857 the only specimen (as supposed indigenous) from the Sydney collection, did I receive an other sample, which confirms my idea, that the Brabejum was cultivated and flowering in the Sydney Garden long ago, especially as Cunningham1 already established interchanges with Zeyher.

In my contribution to the volume of the Acclimation Society of Victoria last year I united indeed Macadamia with Brabejum,2 and this will on geographic grounds not be so very objectionable, since not only species of Lomatia but (as latterly shown) of Embothrium occur also out of Australia.

Perhaps you like my drawing attention to this for the “genera”, and do me the justice to mention in 2 or 3 words as ascertained by myself, as it is of course more pleasant to correct an error through myself, than to be corrected.3

Always regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

Persoonia has also species with 2 glands.

 

Brabejum stellatifolium

Embothrium

Lomatia

Macadamia verticillata

Persoonia

Allan Cunningham was curator of the Sydney Botanic Garden, 1837-8, succeeding his brother Richard who had been curator since 1832.
No publication in which M united these genera has been identified and it would appear that he subsequently had second thoughts on the matter because in later editions of his ‘Select plants’ he maintained them both.
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83), vol. 3, part 1, p. 178 acknowledge M’s change of opinion: “M. verticillata, F. Muell., est, ex auctore in litt. verisimiliter Brabejum stellatifolium , stirps austro-Africana in horto Sydneyano culta; specimina nobis desunt et character in Flora Australiensi imprimis e schedis Muellerianis excerpta fuit, ovario non examinato.”

Please cite as “FVM-78-06-10c,” 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/78-06-10c