To Frederick Bailey   6 October 1886

6/10/86

Dear Mr Bailey

I have examined the Vallisneria (♀ only), sent by you, and would advise to try, to obtain through Dr Bancroft jun. or one of his friends at Carpentaria1 a good set of specimens of this plant, both ♂ & ♀and with ripe fruit the male likely near the root. Meanwhile it might be called Vallisneria caulescens, and as I spent some time on this plant, perhaps it might be named under our united authority.2 The main differences from the V. spiralis are 1, the development of a foliate stem, though I have seen occasionally also stolones on V. spiralis, 2, the pointed apex of the young fruit (offering a slight approach to Blyxa, 3, some difference in the anatomic structure of the leaves. The male flowers and ripe fruits, may prove this however a new genus. There should be not much difficulty in refinding the plant, as Dr B. is almost sure to remember the precise locality, and he could send specimens by post. By way of encouragement you might mention to Dr B., that if his plant proved a new genus, it could be called Bancroftia, the Jamaica-genus of that name having collapsed.

As there is not the slightest necessity of hurrying this plant on very imperfect data through the press, I would advise, to defer public reference to it at all events for a few months, so as to give Dr B. a chance to procure a good supply of ♂ & ♀ fl. & rip[e] fruits, also a root & s[ome] notes on length of plan[t] &c Perhaps he could pu[t] some separate flowers in a little phial of alcohol.

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

 

I shall only make rapid progress with Papuan pl. after Christmas when the "Key" will be out

Have read Rev. J. T. Woods remarks on Minerals [in Perak]3 with much [...]4

When you see Mr Bryan Hooker, give him my compliments Did he get his appointment through Dr Mein's brother?5

 
 

Bancroftia

Blyxa

Vallisneria caulescens

Vallisneria spiralis

 
1
Thomas Bancroft had found the plant at a lagoon some 100 km west of Normanton, near the Gulf of Carpentaria in Qld.
2
Vallisneria caulescens was described under the names of Bailey and M in Bailey (1888a), p. 56.
3
Woods (1884)?
4
A line partly obscured on MS by archival tape.
5
These two sentences are on a separate sheet and may not be part of this letter. Brian Hooker was appointed Mineralogical Lecturer for the Qld Dept of Mines at Gympie, Maryborough and Bundaberg in early October 1886 (see Maryborough chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett advertiser, 8 October 1886, p. 2).

Please cite as “FVM-86-10-06,” 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 8 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/86-10-06