To Joseph Hooker   1 June 1884

1/6/84¹

By this post, dear Sir Joseph, half a hundred species of plants, according to the list of Prof. Oliver, have been forwarded;² and I will try to send each Gov. mail as many more, so that in less than a year the whole will be absolved. Unfortunately the specimens are very fragmentary; but in most cases the supplies of these new plants from various collectors are scanty, and they never went to any place abroad. While ill, I could not select and label the specimens myself, and I now find that the first lot has no special localities noted; this shortcoming will not occur hereafter.³

I have to thank you for sending me your extensive Garden Report for 1882.⁴ It reminds me of happier days of my own in earlier years! On a few subjects, alluded to in the report, I would solicit some special information⁵ as bearing on the Flora of Australia. Have you found distinctions of specific value between Caryota Rumphiana and C. Alberti? - The Ptychosperma Normanbyana is fully described in the 11th vol. of the Fragm. as such already in 1878.⁶ Have you clearly identified Livistona humilis with L. Leichhardti?⁷ The latter is aged an unusually tall palm, and known to me only from Carpentaria and Arnhem’s Land. If R. Br. really also got it there, - then he saw it only in a young state, though flowering. The name for the species would be utterly inappropriate; but that could hardly be helped perhaps. - L inermis cannot possibly be the same as L. Ramsayi or Licuala Muelleri, if R. Br. got it from Carpentaria. The Licuola is strictly confined to the eastern slopes of the Ranges of N.E. Australia, inhabiting the shady wet high mountain-gullies, while such localities for the growth of this palm exist on none of the islands of Carpentaria, so far as I am aware. If, as Mr Bentham says, it may prove a var of L. humilis, then it is widely removed from the Licuala, which has not lobed but only toothed almost peltate leaves. I have not Martius costly Nat. Hist. of Palms, to refer to Bauer’s plate;⁸ nor is the work in our public Library, though I recommended repeatedly its purchase. If I had a rough tracing of Bauers plates of Livistonas, I might help to elucidate this perplexed subject.⁹

If you lost the Monochoria cyanea, I could procure seeds anew.¹⁰

Pray, remember me to Mr Bentham, and let me hope that spring and summer will bring him renewed strength.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller

Caryota Alberti

Caryota Rumphiana

Licuala Muelleri

Livistona humilis

Livistona inermis

Livistona Leichhardti

Livistona Ramsayi

Monochoria cyanea

Ptychosperma Normanbyana