BLAKE & RIGGALL
24 William Street,
Melbourne 30 June 1879
Sir
I enclose some leaves & flowers picked from a herb growing on the plains near the Castlereagh river in N.S.W. which I am curious to know the true name of. The settlers about there call it "native indigo". The plant grows from about a foot to 2 feet high & in wet seasons is very luxuriant. The leaves are a rich green the flower a dark violet very much like the flower of the Sarsaparilla plant but larger —
It is now nearly 3 weeks since I picked the enclosed but I have not been able to send it to you sooner —
I should feel greatly interested in knowing what it is if you are able to recognise it.
I am Sir
Yours faithfully
Arthur Blake
The Baron Von Mueller
MS found with a specimen of Swainsona swainsonioides (MEL 1544866). Annotated by M: 'Answ 3/7/79'. Letter not found.
Please cite as “FVM-79-06-30,” 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