29/3/84
It was an obtusity of mine, dear Prof. Tate, that I gave only one species of Crinum for S.A.,1 because in 1849 I collected one on the great bend of the Murray-River myself, and in 1851 the other on the base of the Flinders-Ranges, the one having an almost spherical the other a club-shaped bulb.
Bentham in the 6th vol of the Flora confused several species of Crinum, thus united one of the S. A. species with the big Crinum pedunculatum,2 a plant well known to me from Botany-Bay. Since then Mr Baker has elaborated the whole Kew-material of Crinum,3 and I used partly his exposition for the "Census", giving 7 Crinums for Australia instead of 5 by Bentham. I was eager to work in detail on my own gradually increased lot of Australian specimens of the genus; but my three months absense from home, the finishing of the 10th Decade of the Eucalyptography4 and the work for the local Exhibition here now,5 left me no time. I will attend to the matter, so soon as I get all things here in trim again. The calls on me are endless; I have however refused several honorary invitations for lecturing &c., to save time and mental strength.
Your notes will be useful for revisal, could you get the carpalog. characters (from ripe fruits &c) also.
Regardfully your
Ferd von Mueller.
Bentham quite neglected the fruits of Crinum.
In the msc list of S. A. plants, made by me in 1851, I have 2 Crinums6
Sir H. Barkly wrote me, that he attached his signature to the Candidature Paper of yours at the R.S.7
Crinum pedunculatum
B83.03.04, p. 116.
Bentham (1863-78), vol. 6, p. 455.
J. G. Baker (1881), published in ten parts from June to December1881.
B84.11.02.
Victorian Intercolonial Exhibition of Wine, Fruit, Grain, etc., Melbourne, 1884.
Notwithstanding M's comment, the second edition of his Census (B89.12.03), p.196, listed only Crinum flaccidum from SA.
Royal Society [of London]; Barkly's letter not found. See the nomination certificate for Tate, M to Royal society of London, 1883 (in this edition as 83-00-00k).
Please cite as “FVM-84-03-29,” 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