From Frederick Bailey to Ferdinand von Mueller   19 Apr 1886

Brisbane

April 19th 1886

Dear Baron

Accept my thanks for your kind remarks¹ on my Catalogue of the woods² — Re my (No 332a) supposed Kermadecia I feel sure it is identical with a tree in the Botanic Garden which has since fruited and turned out to be a Grevillea so please change the Generic name from Kermadecia to Grevillea Young Dr Bancroft³ agrees with me that the Bot. Gar. tree is the same as his. I was hasty in naming it only the wood is very pretty and stands well and I therefore wished to send it to England,⁴ but was determined not to send any unnamed woods away — "pinnatifida" is not a good one in a genus like Grevillea but it will have to stand — You will be glad to hear that amongst Thos L Bancroft's specimens I find a few shoots bearing flowers of a Mangrove you spoke of in IX. Fragm. as likely to be met in Australia Bruguiera parviflora.⁵ This with the several other new or fresh Queensland plants it is my intention to publish, (the pages are in fact in the printers hands) and so that the notices can be referred to I have called these papers — "Occasional papers on the Queensland Flora". I shall thus be enabled to keep the public well posted up in the Colony's Flora. I have nine plants for the first number.⁶ Young Dr Bancroft has left the Johnstone River⁷ and is now on a trip to Sydney but I dont know if he will visit Melbourne.

I would be obliged if you would kindly look over the 2 or 3 specimens sent with this and tell me if I am correct or what they are.

Yours very truly

F. M. Bailey

The enclosed Hibbertia only differs from your H longifolia in that its petals are deeply lobed can it be a form with thus⁸ deeply lobed petals I send my only specimen from near Ingham. N.Q.⁹

Bruguiera parviflora

Grevillea pinnatifida

Hibbertia longifolia

Kermadecia