From Frederick Bailey   29 November 1878

Robert Street

Brisbane Nov 29th /78

Baron Ferd von Mueller

 

My dear Sir

I am glad to have received the news of the although gradual return of your health — I wrote you some time back about the somewhat confused state of your genus Astrebla in the Flora1 in which your species A. elymoides has been lost I believe mixed up with A. pectinata and as we are issuing another twentyfive illustrations of our grasses with letterpress I have had to describe A. elymoides myself for you never informed me in what work you described and it is not in your Fragmenta. I have given you as the authority of name so please forgive any any discrepancies in my description when you receive a copy which I hope will be shortly2

By the bye that Tecoma? Hillii is a fine flower. What a pity we shall have no seed for have an idea that it may not be a Tecoma there would have been plenty of seed only the forman of the Gardens3 who it seems discovered the plant wrote to me to come and see it in flower and seeing me at the plant went to it after I left (I am told by the forman) and plucked every flower and young fruit off the plant for what reason I cannot tell it was a mad headed trick. We are on speaking terms but he always opposes me. I saw him yesterday and he pointed out to me some (two) nice young trees of the large fig he found on Bellenden Ker.4 but he never will show me the specimens he brought from there of anything. On one of the fences was a fine plant of the enclosed Gymnema micradenia Benth or that is what I make it he did not know it but said he thought he got it from the Pine River.5 I think you might as well note in the Fragmenta (if agreeable) the mistake with regard to follicle in Flora see Vol IV 344 also the small hard somewhat sharp dark colored glands on lamina of leaf are often ten, the color of flower cream sepals reflexed. The rest you will see from specimen enclosed.6

First opportunity I will send you the spotted gum flower. And also when I receive them flowers of the others

If you take a trip up north I would not advise leaving before the cool weather sets in

You have not had time to look at the new form of Daviesia &c &c &c that I have sent during your unfortunate illness I suppose.

The elections have taken up everybodys attention so I have had no chance of saying anything of the Eucalypt publication.7 had you not better write our Government on the subject and also regarding the supp. vol of Flora8

Mr Gregory says if you could give No of Camp he might help about the Ephedra-like tree

Your very truly

F M Bailey

 

Astrebla elymoides

Astrebla pectinata

Daviesia

Ephedra

Gymnema micradenia

Tecoma Hillii

See Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, pp. 602-3.
Bailey desribed 'Astrebla elymoides, F. v. Muell.' in Bailey (1879), 8th plate, where he stated: 'I cannot find where Baron Mueller described it, but it has been described by him under the above appropriate name'. In fact, M had never published this species!
Walter Hill.
Mt Bellenden Ker, Qld.
Qld.
M described the specimen as a new species, Gymnema pleiadenium, in B79.01.01, p. 78, crediting Hill and Bailey with its discovery.
B79.13.11?
The proposed supplementary volume of Flora australiensis was never published.

Please cite as “FVM-78-11-29,” 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 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/78-11-29