To Joseph Hooker   1 January 1881

Newyears day

1881.

Let me offer you, dear Sir Joseph, a happy new year, though my felicitation can reach you only after so long a time.

Your letter of the 8th Nov¹ came just into my hands a few days ago; in reply to the question, raised therein, whether possibly two species are included under Ptychosperma Normanbyana,² I can only say, that the palm-collectors of Australia have furnished such inadequate material as to leave some doubt on the point raised. Very few palms of this part of the globe are within ready reach, and the majority occur far away from settlements and in places, where the natives cannot be trusted. But gradually the aborigines become subdued or rather exterminated, and so the jungles may also become more opened. The jurors duties for the Exhibition³ in several branches, including chemical products, makes still such an inroad on my time, that my literary work got much into arrear; so excuse brevity.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

You must not be angry with me, when I express my regret at the impending multiplication of the genera of palms. As still more spec. will be discovered, more generic limits will break down. We can as a rule attain much better by sections in a large genus, what by severance of them is accomplished under generic names. Take as an instance Chaetospora & Isolepis. What a burden the two have been to us through nearly a whole century! cui bono? So will it be with other artificial genera finally, to wit: Radlkofers of Sapindaceae⁴ &c &c

Chaetospora

Isolepis

Ptychosperma Normanbyana

Sapindaceae