To Edward Ramsay   15 October 1881

15/10/81.

The palmseeds kindly sent by you, dear Mr Ramsay, came all right yesterday. So far as mere fruits go to teach us, the Betelnut is the true Areca Catechu, which has a wide geographic range in India & the neighbooring Islands.

N. 2. Is a true Areca, so far as fruit is concerned, and I should not wonder if it turned out to be A. pumila, though the nuts are rather larger. You will be aware, that to determine palms, even in reference to their generic position, it needs male & female flowers, (mostly in the same inflorescence). Is it a dwarf palm with slender stems?

N. 3 is probably a Ptychosperma; the structure of the fruit accords with that genus. It has no affinity to Pritchardia, nor do I think it a fan-palm, it being probably a featherpalm. As you like perhaps an interim-name, til flowers are obtained, I am calling it P. Ramsayi; though it is under the circumstances venturesome to bestow any appellations.¹

Why do your collectors not procure the inflorescence, which is obtainable at all seasons (as a rule), and which would only require to be wrapped up with a portion of the leaves in strong paper & placed thus anywhere for drying. The collectors should also note the habit, the position of the inflorescence, whether on the stem or between the leaves, & other peculiarities whether one or more stems from one root. Remember that over 1000 well marked species of Palms are now described; and how is any Botanist to form an opinion of a new sort, if he has no complete material?

The Vegetation of the Solomon's Group must be very interesting as the isle may furnish transits from the Papuan to the Polynesian flora. I could contribute to the expenses of the collector, if that be required, by purchasing at a fair price what he brings of dried plants. Dr Binder, the former Mayor of Hamburg is dead; curiously enough his successor Dr Kirchenpauer is also a naturalist, who works independently on Polyzoa.² Kindly instruct your collectors to secure also nuts, nutstalkes & nutscales and male cones of any Cycas, also portions of leaves. I fancy, that there are many different species passed under one name; at all events we have 3 well-marked species peculiar to Australia, and Dr Beccari was mistaken as he admits now himself in referring my Cycas Papuana of N Guinea to C. Rumphii.³

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller

Goldie still owes me £30, but he has not so much spirit of honor to send anything, nor even write to me.⁴ If you write to him, kindly give him a touch up!

Areca Catechu

Areca pumila

Cycas Papuana

Cycas Rumphii

Pritchardia

Ptychosperma Ramsayi