From Ferdinand von Mueller to Ralph Tate   12 Oct 1881

12/10/81.

The discovery of Quinetia Urvillei,¹ dear Prof. Tate, rightly recognized by you, is an interesting addition to the S.A. Flora. I have looked for it there in vain; but it may be local there, though such annuals are as a rule of gregarious distribution. There is of course the possibility, that it may in the frequent intercourse with K.G.S.² have been introduced. In W.A. (or S. W. Austr rather) it is far more common then³ should be thought from the note in the "Flora"⁴

I am among the supplemental Acacias and may have a few to add from the Rev. Mr Kempe's & Mr Giles's⁵ collection; but the specimens are not always indeed seldom perfect; and in such a large and intricate genus it is needful to be careful & circumspect, otherwise we would drift soon into confusion. It is hardly worth while to name the irideous plant, even if your transmitted material would render that possible, it being an immigrated plant.

I believe, that I gave you the few addition of species (of localities I took no note), which in this year I made to the extratropic fl. of your territory

Commerçonia Kempeana.

Hannafordia Bissillii

Achyranthes aspera L

all from Kempe (Finke-River⁶)

Pterocaulon Billardierii I named in the "Papuan plants"⁷

Zaleia⁸ decandra Burman a good genus. Lake Torrens,⁹ Lattorp.¹⁰

Euc. Stuartiana FvM Mt Gambier,¹¹ J. E. Brown.

Ventilago viminalis Hook. (Kempe)

Melothria Muelleri yourself

Sebaea albidiflora yourself

Limosella Curdieana! N. of Fowlers Bay¹²

Polymeria one species Kempe, not yet accurately compared

Corynotheca lateriflora on the Murray River beyond the "great Bend"¹³ F.v.M. (1849). Finke River (Kempe)

Najas major, Allioni Kempe also N. of Fowlers Bay Mr Tietkens & Mrs Richards

Aristida leptopoda B. W. of the Darling R.¹⁴ (Bonney)¹⁵

Setaria macrostachya (Kempe)

Panicum helopus. W. of Darling (Bonney)

P. spinescens " "

Eriochloa annulata " "

Stipa Tuckeri, FvM Similar to S. elegantiss.¹⁶ but smaller Fragm xi¹⁷ near Darl. R.

Sporobolus Lindleyi Lake Torrens (Lattorp¹⁸)

Eragrostis Brownii near the entrance of the Glenelg River F.v.M.

Danthonia bipartita Near the Darling River

Have you space still for some notes on Polynesian plants in your new volume,¹⁹ if that is not for it too foreign an element. Only to day, when writing on Leichhardts relatives claims on the journals to Mr Krichauff²⁰ & about the desirability to send Tietkens out to the deathplace of L. likely in S. Australian territory I enquired after your health. It is gratifying, that you & your son are restored to it.

What about my quadrupedal namesake? Is he sustaining the fair fame of the name?²¹

Your adress at the RS.²² will be as useful, as it is learned. I have worked up the anatomy of the Spondylostrobus-wood, but cannot get the print done, & so is it with the Euc. Atlas.²³

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

Acacia

Achyranthes aspera

Aristida leptopoda

Commerçonia Kempeana

Corynotheca lateriflora

Danthonia bipartita

Eragrostis Brownii

Eriochloa annulata

Eucalyptus Stuartiana

Hannafordia Bissillii

Limosella Curdieana

Melothria Muelleri

Najas major

Panicum helopus

Panicum spinescens

Polymeria

Pterocaulon Billardierii

Quinetia Urvillei

Sebaea albidiflora

Setaria macrostachya

Spondylostrobus

Sporobolus Lindleyi

Stipa elegantiss

Stipa Tuckeri

Ventilago viminalis

Zaleia decandra