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From Ferdinand von Mueller to John Buchanan   26 Aug 1882

26/8/82,

Best thanks, dear Mr Buchanan,1 for the sending of Phyllachnes &c, also for the sketch of flower of Epiblema.2 Could you not spare even one flower of the plant for me, to dissect and carefully compare? Is it gone to England, to be worked out? Any how the plant there interests me much in connection with Australian vegetation.3

Herewith a proofsheet of the geographic & chronologic census of all Australian species of plants, of which work the dicotyledoneae will appear in 1882.4 Can you not do something similar for the N.Z. setting out the provinces as I have done the colonies. I would gladly help you in the chronologic data.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

If you asked Mr Travers, I feel sure he would let me have one of the flowers of his Epiblema, and if in comparison I should find any distinctions, it could be named after that Gentleman.5

Epiblema

Phyllachnes

1

John Buchanan (1819-1898).

2

Sketch not found.

3

In Buchanan (1882), pp. 356-7, an orchid collected by H. L. T. Travers was identified as the Australian Epiblema grandiflorum.

4

B83.03.04.

5

No Epiblema named for Travers has been found (IPNI accessed 20 March 2022).

Please cite as “FVM-82-08-26,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/82-08-26