From Ralph Tate1    6 May 1884

THE UNIVERSITY,

ADELAIDE.

May 6, 1884

My Dear Baron,

I enclose a specimen of what I name Scirpus litoralis, for corroboration; it is from the River Torrens at Adelaide. This discovery has led me to re examine2 my specimens gathered together under the name of S. lacustris, with the result that: —

(1) those from the Reedbeds near Adelaide, from the R. Murray and the S. East are S. lacustris

2/ those from Wirrabirra in the Flinders-Range3 are S. litoralis.

Apart from the denser inflorescence of S. lacustris, another character, not mentioned by Bentham, seems available for diagnostic purposes — namely the exsert anthers.

Of late I have not devoted much time to botanical work having resumed the elaboration of the species of our Tertiary fossils; but I am wishful to describe the new species of plants from the Lake Torrens district,4 Stipa Muelleri and another plant or so from this neighbourhood, as I had inadvertently attached M.S. names in my published papers, it seems advisable that the descriptive work should devolve on me alone.5

So far, it seems probable that the Trans. of our Royal Soc for this year will be a very thin volume; could favour us with a paper to arrive towards the end of September.6

I trust that you are fully restored to health.

yrs very truly

Ralph Tate

 

Scirpus lacustris

Scirpus litoralis

Stipa Muelleri

1
MS annotation by M: 'Rec. & answ 10/5/84 F.v.M.' See M to R. Tate, 10 May 1884.
2
sic.
3
Wirrabara, SA?
4
SA.
5
Tate described Stipa muelleri and several other new species in Tate (1885).
6
M did not contribute a paper to the volume.

Please cite as “FVM-84-05-06,” 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 29 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/84-05-06