Richmond N.S.W
July 29th 1882
My dear Baron,
I am much obliged for your kind remarks on the specimens. Panicum trachyrrhachis puzzles me, as Mr. Bentham calls it a "glabrous" grass.1 The friend who sent these specimens is Mr. Edward Palmer. His station is on the Flinders,2 but he is travelling about just now. I have sent him your remarks & also printed papers, but he may not get them for some weeks.
On Monday last, I gave a lecture in Parramatta on the subject of "Books: their origin & progress". Should it be printed I will send you a copy.3 On Thursday, a paper of mine was read before the Linnean on the subject of "The Indigenous Forage Plants of N.S.W." I dare say this will appear by & by in the Transactions.4
I have not seen Mr. Calvert for some time. I should like to see the little girl.5
I send you three aquatic plants. As spring comes on I will look for more.
Please tell me whether the enclosed composite is Vittadinia macrorrhiza?6 It has spread very much of late in the low lands & rises to 2 feet. The flowers are white & exactly those of a Vittadinia. The Oenothera is spreading also & does not appear to be biennis.
Yours very sincerely
W. Woolls
Oenothera biennis
Panicum trachyrrhachis
Vittadinia macrorrhiza
Panicum trachyrhachis? See Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, p. 490.
Flinders River, Qld?
Woolls subsequently sent M a copy of a published account of the lecture which, he said, was from the Sydney Echo; see W. Woolls to M, 23 August 1882 (in this edition as 82-08-23a). However, no such account has been found in a search of that paper covering the relevant dates.
Woolls (1883), issued 28 October 1882 (Anonymous (1929)).
Eighteen days before Louisa (Atkinson) Calvert died on 28 April 1872, she gave birth to a daughter, Louise (see P. Clarke (1990), chapter 17).
V. macrorhiza?
MS found with an unclassified specimen of Compositae (MEL 1547331). MS annotation by M: 'Answ 26/8/82'. Letter not found.
Please cite as “FVM-82-07-29a,” 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