To Joseph Hooker   22 November 1881

22/11/81¹

It is discouraging, dear Sir Joseph, that the sending of the Andersonias did not reach you as I hoped fit for cultural purposes.² Two or three reasons militated against the success.

1) the advanced season; such plants should be lifted in autumn, and such was intended, but before I got the case, filled it with Pines, (for all of which I have no convenience now) and got it to K.G. Sound, it was July (I think) & at Albany also more delay arose, to procure the plants, than I anticipated³

2. the plants should be established, even if only by being kept a few months in an open Wards Case at Albany. I have brought Andersonia caerulea fresh from there myself and grew it easily afterwards in the Melb bot Garden, where it flowered freely among the Cape Ericas, sheltered against the Melbourne dry heat.

3. I had particularly asked, especially as freight was paid by me to Kew, that the case should be entrusted to someone of the Officers of the Steamer purposely, so that he might have lifted the lid, if the plants were too moist, or watered them if too dry. Unfortunately the lid was fixed down. But I suppose they got no attention whatever on the voyage, and had perhaps at times no light, and at other times the full force of the sun-heat on the glass even in the tropics!

In justice to myself I must say, since it might appear as if I knew nothing of horticulture even after all my success of former years in the Melb. bot Garden, that I did send seeds (fruits) of Epacrids year after year to Europe (also Kew) since 1853!, including on many occasions Andersonia-seeds, ordered from poor Maxwell purposely. But I do not find, that the seeds of the capsular Epacrids germinate so easily as those of Ericeae, though of course they do germinate, if fresh. As regards drupaceous Epacrids, the putamen must be opened if the puny seeds are to make in germination their way out of their hard shell. This I often noted on the seed papers of them. In nature bush-fires seem to liberate them; but like with Orchids out of thousands of fruits perhaps not one of drupaceous Epacrids will leave any offspring. So it is, that the most magnificent of all Eastern Epacrids (quite as splendid as Cosmelia) has never yet been cultivated in any garden except mine, namely Stenanthera conostephoides; the corolla has a fulgent transparency. I sent the nuts often to European Gardens, and several times fresh to Kew.⁴ If you would send me back the Ward's Case with a few hardy plants, which I could plant on the few square yards of ground before the door of the little Cottage, in which I do my Office work & studies, I will cause it to be filled again and be sent (with better luck I hope) to Kew.⁵

Mr Webb at K G Sound is a very worthy man but poor in the extreme; (I have given him now & then some help)⁶ he would be able to send you young Kingias, Baxterias, Calectasias (cultivated successfully by me), and above all that gorgeous plant Nuytsia, (which Fraser introduced into the Sydney bot Garden,) of which I often sent seeds, which never seem to have vegetated.⁷

If anything was wanting to demonstrate, as RBr already pointed out, the close affinity of Loranthaceae & Proteaceae it is this same Nuytsia, especially if we take its so called sepals as petals, articulated as they are at the base.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller

A little sea air would not hurt any Epacrid in an open Case, even under mere Calico, on the way to Europe

Were you at the geographic Congress of Venice? I was invited specially but could not get away

I shall of course be grateful for any spare specimens of RBr's plants, but also for any from India, which you may be able to spare.

Very few Epacrids indeed have been raised in Europe anywhere.

At best Andersonias raised from seeds would only flower after 2 years.

The Stewart⁸ of the Steamer for a trifle wood⁹ look after an open Case

Andersonia caerulea

Erica

Stenanthera conostephoides

Kingia

Baxteria

Calectasia

Loranthaceae

Nuytsia

Epacrideae