To Henry Ridley   21 February 1887

21/2/87

 

In first instance, dear Mr Ridley, let me express my best appreciation of the generous remarks, which you bestowed on me in the journ. of Bot. regarding my acquaintance with the Papuan Flora.1 Such recognition from one, so erudite as yourself, is particularly gratifying and encouraging.

I have written to Mr Fawcett, direct to his new abode, felicitating him to his having gained the position in Jamaica, where he is sure to exercise also a vast influence on the elucidation of the Central-American Flora.2

It is with sorrow that I find myself at this moment unable to send you the only specimen of Microstylis Bernaysii. It is mislaid. The spaces here are most narrow for the half a million of sheets of dried plants, and thus some times misplacements do occur. I hope however to find it yet, and then I will transmit it at once on loan.

Speaking of Orchids, I may remark, that Prof Reichenbach seems unaware, that I described in the “Papuan plants” a Dendrobium Macfarlani3 and D. Johnsoniae, to both of which he appears to have given later names. The small edition of the above work is exhausted; so I can send him no copy.

Ever regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

 

Perhaps you have occasion, when next writing on Dendrobium, to clear this synonymy up.

Your elaboration of Mr Forbes Monocotyledoneae4 is most interesting

 

Dendrobium Johnsoniae

Dendrobium Macfarlani

Microstylis Bernaysii

Monocotyledoneae

 

Ridley (1886) wrote: ‘The greater portion of the flowering plants are being described by Baron von Mueller, who is probably better acquainted with the flora of this island than anyone else in the empire’ (p. 321).

M had thanked Ridley for this comment in a previous letter: M to H. Ridley, 12 January 1887.

Letter not found.
Error for Dendrobium macfarlanei(B76.04.01, p. 29); , Reichenbach (1882), p. 520 contains his description of D. macfarlanei , which Sanders (1894), pp. 27 – 28 treats as a synonym of M’s D. johnsoniae,B82.05.06, p. 95.
Ridley (1886)

Please cite as “FVM-87-02-21,” 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 29 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/87-02-21