Royal Herbarium,
Kew
7 — 5 — 88
To Baron Ferd. von Mueller, K.C.M.G., F.R.S, &c —
I have taken the liberty of forwarding for your acceptance, by same post as this, reprints of some of my botanical papers, & also a dozen rough sketches of Australian Fungi,2 mostly communicated by yourself. I am personally unknown to you, but you may perhaps have noticed my name associated with that of Dr Cooke, as joint author of new fungi for the past two years. I am working along with him at the herbarium here.
I consider Victoria as very rich in the lower cryptogams, Fungi, & fresh water algae. I have spent a considerable time in the West Indies & S. America studying the cryptogamic flora, but I never saw so many interesting things as are sent from Australia, & often regret that they arrive in the dry state, when so little can be done with them, comparatively. I think it is a great pity that you have not a state cryptogamist to look after the cryptogamic flora, plant diseases incident to such &, & to thoroughly describe & for ever stereotype the numerous good things, from recent specimens, & so avoid the complicated synonymy which is sure to be the outcome of describing from dried specimens, which is more especially true of Fungi & Algae, & also to make drawings of everything, so that there may be no misunderstanding afterwards If you do not send the algae to any one already, I shall be very pleased to name them, & make sketches &.
Yours very truly
G. Massee
Please cite as “FVM-88-05-07b,” 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 27 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/88-05-07b