16/6/82
There will be again a little lull in departmental engagements with me, so far as I can see, dear Prof Tate, and I have commenced to attend to the remainder of your plants.
The unique 32 from Mackinlay's River1 seems to me to be a new genus of Scrophularinae; but altho' I spent some hours in dissecting the tiny flowers, I have been unable in the absense of fruit to trace the nearest affinity of the genus among Scrophularinae, if in reality it belongs to that order. It will therefore be best to hold this plant over, until we can get fruit. As you say, that it was common on moist places on the M'Kinlay-River and is so easily recognized by the flowerstem arising from rather large radical leaves, you might induce some settler to procure the seedvessels or rather fruiting plants. If required I will send a pencil-sketch of this unique specimen and with your permission retain it meanwhile. I could send a pencil-sketch.2 I have laid the plant aside as Tatea acaulis,3 though I have not yet looked through zoologic & geologic works to see, whether perhaps a genus is therein dedicated to you. Tatea Seemann = Bikkia.
More fortunate have I been in settling the remarkable new Pachynema, of which I send at once the description. I would advise to make it the initiation of an article, to which you could affix the names of those plants, which have been settled already.4 As any other new one is made out, other lists can follow; then there will be no delay with whatever at any time is ready.
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller
16/6/82
I had just this letter ready for you, dear Professor, when yours arrived.5 I feel sad to hear of the mishap which befel your returned plants. I will make some enquiries about this, but I thought by post all would be safe.
Mr Holtze has all the names of his plants from me, so far as their state admitted of naming, but I never got the fruit of Clausenia6 & others
Soon more from me. Always your
Ferd von Mueller
It would be nice to bring out a little of the plants for each meeting of your R.S.
Bikkia
Clausenia
Pachynema
Scrophularinae
Tatea acaulis
McKinlay River, NT.
I could send a pencil-sketch is a marginal note by M.
Published as T. subacaulis in B83.04.07; see M to R. Tate, 25 May 1883 (in this edition as 83-05-25a), and notes to the entry for B83.04.07.
Tate read M's description of Pachynema sphenandrum to the Royal Society of South Australia on 5 July 1882. It was subsequently published under their joint names as B82.14.01.
Letter not found.
Clausena?
Please cite as “FVM-82-06-16a,” 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