Nov. 8 /81
My dear Von Mueller
Are you sure that what you have sent me as the "young leaf of Ptychosperma Normanbyana"1 belongs to that species — it does not resemble a Pt. leaf in texture & indumentum I think.
Certainly Bacularia must be retained but I am not sure that Kentia minor belongs to it. I have not yet determined.
Oliver doubts if the material for drawing Chloanthes Elderi is good enough to get a plate up for the Icones. Fitch having given up work has driven us to very inferior artists for botanical drawing, & I was for long in the utmost straits in regard to the Magazine — my daughter Mrs Dyer did some but she has now a family to attend to. My sister in law (Prof Henslow's youngest dau.) Mrs Barnard (A. B.) draws beautifully but is an invalid residing near Cheltenham. I have been for 2 years training a distant relative, a Miss Smith (M. S. of Bot Mag) who will I think do well & who has just begun lithography.
Bentham is in anxiety Mrs B. having broken her leg. She is 82 years old, & is doing well.
I am still fighting with Palms.
Very sincerely yr
Jos D Hooker
Bacularia
Chloanthes Elderi
Ptychosperma Normanbyana
Please cite as “FVM-80-11-08,” 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/80-11-08