From Benedetto Scortechini¹    1 January 1883

1st January 1883

Dear Baron

May this and many more years to come be full of happinness to you. I am glad to begin the new year, this early morning by writing to you. The letter will be accompanied by a parcel of 25 plants, most of which are new to Q-land.² You shall be able to mark the new stations in your addenda to the census of all Australian species.³

Among these plants there is a Grevillea I have been unable to identify with any described one. I might have been too hasty in concluding it to be a new species. It has the aspect of G. laurina ⁴ with the leaves of G. ilicifolia and repens. You will decide whether it is a new species, or new variety of one of these. Mr Bailey has got a set of all the plants I gathered in Stanthorpe⁵ as there was a gentleman with me⁶ who was likewise gathering plants, and who gave them to Mr Bailey. I do not know what he made of this Grevillea, and of all others. If he coincides in my opinion that it is new he will publish it as such at once some where.⁷

With many regards I remain

Your humble Servant

B Scortechini

⁸ Grevillia n. sp?

Proteaceae

Stanthorpe

I am strongly inclined to take it as a new species between G. laurifolia of the Blue Mountains,⁹ and your Victorian G. repens. Of both it has the prostate¹⁰ habit, gland, ovary, style and umbonate oblique stigmatic disk, and inflorescence. But in the shape and indumentum of the leaves it varies so much. I have no access to any specimens of G. repens, but from the description I can see to be very different, "sprinkled underneath with apressed hairs" Bentham says,¹¹ whereas my specimens are closely silvery silky underneath. Then their geographical stations so far apart. No examination of the fruit has been made by me. You will find further discrepancies. It grows on granitic detritus

Grevillea ilicifolia

Grevillea laurifolia

Grevillea laurina

Grevillea repens