Hillston1 4th September 1882
Baron
In obedience to your commands I went yesterday in search of the acacia2 and as I anticipated it is now gone out of flower for some time and the seed pods are as you will observe formed. I however continued the search for over nine Miles and got one little flower which I placed the end of the sprig it is on in a different – a contrary direction from the others. It is a pretty plant and some plants much prettier than others I never saw it grow on the North side of Lachlan nor so far as I can recollect south of the Murrumbidgie.3 Towards the Mountains in the Creeks and Gullies of which the acacia decurrens occurs and the habitat of this plant there is a wide belt in which neither of the plants grow. The decurrens often has a stem of several feet this one seldom has as many inches – generally separating at the surface into many branches The gum in which it is very prolific I think also tastes different. I never observed sheep eat the spray of this plant but I have known them to chew large lumps of Gum; so large as to cause them inconvenience in hot dry weather and water scarce
I also send you a sprig in flower of that acacia we call Yarron.4 It is often gregarious and forms Yarron scrubs for 7 feet high. I have known detached trees 30 or more feet high with a Trunk of 5 or 6 feet & about a foot through The wood is fragrant. It does not grow so big as the Boree nor is it like it a good fodder plant. There is another acacia like this nearer the Murrumbidgie the flower of which is much the size and shape of the European Rib-grass – a Plantain – but of a Yellow Colour of course
In Haste
Baron
I have the honor to be
Your very obedient Servt
A. N. Grant
P.S. I omitted to mention that I think the decurrens would not grow in such dry country as this one frequents; it also seems very rich in Tannin. Pray excuse this scrawl. I will endeavour to procure seeds for you
A. N. G.
The Baron von Mueller
Acacia decurrens
NSW.
See A. Grant to M, 12 August 1882 (in this edition as 82-08-12a).
Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers, NSW.
APNI lists a number of species to which 'Yarron' has been applied, including A. homalophylla, as does Morris (1898), p. 523. The Australian national dictionary restricts its use (as 'yarran' or 'yarren') to A. homalophylla.
Letter found with a specimen of Acacia homalophylla (MEL 30261); the AVH entry (accessed 30 March 2024) has a note 'Supplied scientific name "Acacia omalophylla"'.
Please cite as “FVM-82-09-04a,” 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