To Joseph Hooker1    12 September 1880

12/9/80

 

As I just think of it, dear Sir Joseph, I like to mention that I sent Elionurus2 citreus to poor General Munro just before his death, from a new locality. I had forgotten all about this species, altho’ I think that I named it correctly in 1856 among the lot of plants from Arnhem's land, which were lost3 (from RBr's brief diagnosis). — Still I speak from memory only

I have just Eucalyptus [urn]igera in the lithographers hand for the 8th part of the Euc. Atlas;4 it is a well marked species. The drawing of E. vernicosa is also done; this however shows a greater affinity to E. Gunnii, than we were hitherto aware of. I have specimens now, which are quite intermediate between the two; so it may only be its alpine state. I am also not yet quite clear about E. coccifera.5

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

The 7th part of the Eucalyptography6 is quite ready as far as text & drawings go; but when the Gov. Printer will be able to issue it, is quite uncertain, as the printing for the Exhibition7 takes up so much of his spare time, even if he is not overburdened with work, while our local Parliament is sitting.

 

Eucalyptus Gunnii

Eucalyptus urnigera

Eucalyptus vernicosa

1
MS annotations: 'Mr Bentham ' (in red pencil) and ' Seen [illegible] Mr Bentham' (in pencil).
2
Elionurus underlined in red pencil.
3
Some specimens collected by M during the North Australia Exploring Expedition, 1855-6, were lost as a result of water damage: see M to W. Hooker, 6 April 1857 and A. Gregory to M, 8 April 1857. M may also be referring to specimens collected during the overland expedition from Victoria River to Brisbane, see M to W. Hooker 11 January 1857, although he claims to have ‘lost no species entirely’ from that part of the expedition.
4
B82.13.17.
5
In the event, M did not include either E. vernicosa or E. coccifera in the Eucalyptographia.
6
B80.13.14.
7
International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1880-1.

Please cite as “FVM-80-09-12,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/80-09-12