11/3/85
It has not been often during the last 30 years, dear Sir Joseph, that I have troubled the Kew-establishment by asking for comparisons of critical plants, as I do not wish, to give any trouble to you and your assistants; but now and then — at long intervals — particular instances did arise, to invoke the Kew-aid and to profit from its vast resources of the Museum. So I venture to submit to you a Richardsonia found in the vicinity of Port Jackson some months ago. Will you kindly cause it to be compared with the South American small species, described by D.C., and with any which recently may have appeared by J. Mueller or others in the Rubiaceae of the Flora Braziliensis (melius Brasiliana)2.
As the allied genus Spermacoce has species as well in the eastern as western hemisphere, it would not be so very wonderful, if a Richardsonia occurred as in indigenous in Australia. I have not very carefully examined the plant, but like to send it you by this mail; I may have leisure within the next days to dissect it with more exactitude. The locality of its growth is remote from houses and gardens; still for all that it may be an introduced weed, though it was never noticed before in places, from whence it could have escaped into seclusion. It might yet be found in other places, as such a small weed is readily overlooked.
Richardsonia
Rubiaceae
Spermacoce
Please cite as “FVM-85-03-11a,” 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 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/85-03-11a