To Joseph Hooker   15 March 1882

15/3/82.1

 

This time I have the pleasure, dear Sir Joseph, to send to you (and to you only) the fresh seeds of the beautiful Ottelia ovalifolia, which never yet found its way to the tanks of European Conservatories. The seeds were quite ripe; — but as I have failed in repeated attempts to introduce this interesting aquatic plant by means of dried seeds, I now send (in a separate parcel) some in a phial with a little water. The testa being mucilaginous, I fear that the wet seeds in the little phial will go to decay, though I filled up the glass with seeds nearly to the top. Those in the moist clay may decay also; so I dried some in clay, besides others in blotting paper. I feel sure, the Gardener in charge of your aquatics will take more than ordinary care with these seeds.2 The plant is not near Melbourne, therefore it involves always some considerable trouble to get seeds; as waterfowl feed on the fruits of this Ottelia, it is rendered still more difficult to get seeds. As regards temperature of the water, for growing these seeds, they might be tried in the basins of the hot-house and also temperate House, this Ottelia, unlike O. alismoides, being extratropical as well as intratropical. In the flora Australiensis it is not recorded from South Australia,3 but I found it near the Lower Murray-River in swamps already in 1848. I feel sure that O. tenera is only a form of this O. ovalifolia.4 The water is usually not very deep, where this grows, but not shallow either. There being lots of seeds, experiments could readily be made by throwing simply some of the clay with the seeds therein on the bottom of your tanks, while some might be put into pans nearer the surface. Excuse me for dilating so far on the subject, but I should like to be the first to introduce this Ottelia into Europe, just as I am anxious to see the blue-flowered Andersonias there.5 I still seek some pride, in sharing in horticultural work & ever shall, even if out of private poor resources.

I am glad to learn, that the cases of dried plants from R Brown’s collection (and perhaps some Indian surplus) are coming here, and will reciprocate for so grand a gift.6 Indeed I have a lot of rare East Australian woods & other things in readiness for Kew.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller

 

The Ottelia is likely to produce seeds in your tanks or waterbasins, so that it can be further distributed in Europe.

I am glad, that Mr Webb7 is sending lots of things to Kew, especially as this communication of his was initiated by me.

 
 

Andersonia

Ottelia alismoides

Ottelia ovalifolia

Ottelia tenera

1
First folio initialled [J.S]. and annotated in W. Thiselton-Dyer’s handAnd [Answered] Ap. 29/82.
2
The Kew Inwards Book 1878–1883 (RBG Kew, Kewensia), p. 380, record 152(a), 27 April 1882, records ‘Sir F. von Mueller | Melbourne | Seeds Ottelia ovalifolia. Packed in clay, in bottle & in paper. Germinated & flowered 1882’. The success of the introduction was reported in Gardeners' chronicle, 11 August 1883, p. 181: seeds sent dry germinated, but those sent in clay and in the bottle did not. M had long been attempting to introduce the species to Kew: see M to J. Hooker, 14 March 1867. See also B86.06.04.
3
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 6, p. 257.
4
Annotation in D. Oliver’s hand: noted D.O. A blue pencil line in the left margin marks the text from as intratropical to this O. ovalifolia and of this O. ovalifolia is underlined and bracketed at the end in lead pencil. M later published the view that ‘Otellia tenera ‘is the plant in its first year’s age.’ (B86.06.04).
5
See M to J. Hooker, 22 November 1881.
6
See J. Hooker to M, 25 September 1881.
7
William Webb of Albany, WA. See W. Webb to J. Hooker, 8 July 1881 (RBG Kew, Kew Correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1871-81, f. 311).

Please cite as “FVM-82-03-15b,” 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 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/82-03-15b