To William Thiselton-Dyer   25 March 1883

Easter

1883.

Though I am not a member of the Phylloxera-Commission, dear Mr Dyer, I have once officially and once privately travelled over the vineries, devastated by that insect-pest. The evidence is so conclusive and the identification so complete, that I never troubled, to preserve specimens; but to remove scepticism of the entomologic Society, I will bring some of the "corpus delicti" when next I travel beyond Geelong, as I shall likely find yet the ova and unwinged insect on remnants of roots. Kindly let your friends remember, that we have in Australia now-a-days also splendid microscopes, and that we also here fairly know, how to use them.¹

I got some new Macrozamia Material from N.S.W. lately, or rather additional Material, which I will examine for improvement of diagnosis; but though the specimens are from various distant localities no actual novelty seems to be among them.

Should your Ottelia ovalifolia have suddenly perished,² I will try to get more seeds; but we have the plant not near Melbourne. Aquatics often go suddenly off in culture, because — as my long horticultural experience has taught me, — they did not get a sufficiency of nutritive soil, to sustain the rapid growth.

I continue posted up on the American Vines Experiments through Planchons "La Vigne Americaine",³ and gave more particularly the best varieties already in the German Translation of the "Select plants".⁴ Of course, no sane person would think of introducing living specimens of any Vitis from N. America. I raised the two "Scuppernongs" & others from seeds many years ago.⁵

Your service of calling forth the Cinchona-plantations in Jamaica alone would have given you claims to the C.M.G., not to speak of your multifarious efforts otherwise, to aid in the development of the rural wealth of the Colonial Empire of Britain.

I look forward with great eagerness to the vol. of Monocotyledoneae of the Genera,⁶ which will be a crowning piece of a grand structure in science.

My "Census"⁷ was under private printing Contract, so as to be done in 1882. Hence I could not delay the issue, til the genera were completed. May I beg of you, to read the preface carefully, and to remember, that I recommended to the illustrious authors of the "genera", to incorporate the Monochlamydeae with the other group[s], before the work was commenced 20 years ago!⁸ Hence in adhering to my views, emphatically expressed, before I knew of the plan of the genera, I am free to steer my own course without the slightest wish to interfere with the "genera" by any innovation of recent date from here.

Kindly remember me to Mr Bentham, and Sir Joseph, and let me remain

regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

Cinchona

Macrozamia

Monochlamydeae

Monocotyledoneae

Ottelia ovalifolia

Vitis