To Thomas Whitelegge¹    3 November 1886

3/11/86

I would be much beholden to you, dear Mr Whitelegge, if you could spare me any of your large specimens of Claudea Bennettiana. Perhaps what you collected shows Keramidia and other organs of multiplication, which I would be glad to describe, and of which you may have made yourself already microscopic sections and drawings. Copies of the latter would be very welcome.

Long ago I pointed out to Agardh, Schmitz and other European Algologist that the Claudea Bennettiana was not really congeneric with C. elegans, nor could be placed with Vanvorstia in one genus. I mentioned to them, that I had called it as a distinct genus Sonderia, in honor of Dr W. O. Sonder, one of my earliest friends in life, a great author on S. African plants² with whom I was for a third of a century in frequent phytologic correspondence, and to whom as a specialist most of my algologic collections were confided.³ Four days before his rather sudden death he still worked on new Algs I had sent him, and the last letter, he wrote in life, was to me.⁴

It would be the aptest botanic genus, that could be dedicated to such a man, this one. The Sondera of Lehmann⁵ among Droseraceae held not out. Perhaps you might mention this incidentally at the L. S. of N. S. W.⁶ — So you can also see, that I am interested in this particular Alga with reference to its fruit. Dr Ramsay kindly sent small specimens,⁷ but not in fruit.

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

Claudea Bennettiana

Claudea elegans

Droseraceae

Sondera

Sonderia

Vanvorstia