21/10/82.
Herewith, dear Prof Tate, I beg to send you a variety of Dendrobium canaliculatum, which I have recently received from the vicinity of Port Darwin, where it was discovered by Mr Paul Foelsche. The plant may be of sufficient interest for being placed before the Royal Society of South-Australia, in as much as we knew hitherto only two truely epiphytal orchids from the North of Arnhemsland land1 or indeed from any portion of that territory, though doubtless some others will be found yet in the coast-jungles there. This variety, which I have called Foelschei, and which almost might be regarded as a distinct species,2 differs from the typical Dendrobium canaliculatum in being more slender, having generally narrower leaves, producing more numerous flowers with narrower upwards deep-rosy not yellowish calyx-lobes. To some extent this variety holds the same relation to the var. Tattoniana, as Dendrobium Hillii to D. speciosum. Incidentally I may remark, that D. canaliculatum has been observed so far south as Edgecombe-Bay,3 and has been noted also as occurring at Cleveland-Bay.4
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller.
Your Habenaria from Cox's peninsula5 is H. elongata, RBr.
Dendrobium canaliculatum
Dendrobium canaliculatum var Foelschei
Dendrobium canaliculatum var Tattoniana
Dendrobium Hillii
Dendrobium speciosum
Habenaria elongata
Please cite as “FVM-82-10-21,” 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