From Walter Hill1    22 August 1879

Botanic Garden

Brisbane 22 August 1879

Sir F. Mueller CMG.

Dear Sir

By this days post I send you a small box containing an Orchid in flower during my trip to Cairns2 in 1876 I discovered it growing on rocks in shady ravines. It is a very beautiful. I hope you will get it in a good state.

I also in close a specimen both in flower and fruit, which I found during my late trip to the Darlington ranges3 in shearch of timber It is a species of Divesia4 It grows to 15 to 25 feet. Diameter 6 to 12 inchs. It timber is beautiful streaked with pinc lines all through, and takes a fine polish I have put a small peice of the timber in the box with the orchid It has the habit of the weeping myall —. I have named it in the catalogue Divesia Hill

I am still busy with the timber

I am

yours truly

Walter Hill

 

Divesia

1
MS annotation by M: 'Answ 28/8/79.' Letter not found.
2
Qld.
3
South-eastern Qld. Hill was collecting timber specimens for the Queensland exhibit at the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880: see International Exhibition 1880-81 (1880), p. 94.
4
Daviesia? MEL 80930 is a sheet, including a wood specimen collected by Hill from the Darlington Range oni 22/8/79. M's herbarium label identified it as Daviesia corymbosa, but it is the holotype for Hill's name D. arborea published in his catalogue, Hill (1880), p. 22.

Please cite as “FVM-79-08-22a,” 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 20 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/79-08-22a