17/9/88
It will interest you, dear Prof Tate, that Lepilaena australis has just been found by Mr Ch. French near Bordertown,1 as new for S.A. He got there also Xerotes juncea.
I see by publications arrived by last mail, that Prof Engler of Breslau now also declares the supposed proteaceous relics from the Vienna-Becken, described by Unger and Ettingshausen,2 not to be proteaceous. It was always considered remarkable, that no fruits, so hard as those of proteaceae, were ever found with the leaves, which certainly reminded of those of Banksias &c3
Mr French stayed only a few day at Border-town; I feel sure, that many other rare plants exist in that region as yet unfound.
Always regardfully your
Ferd von Mueller
If you have not already joined the R.G.S. and the R Hort. Soc4 of Engl. I will gladly propose you
Banksia
Lepilaena australis
Proteaceae
Xerotes juncea
SA. Charles French Snr; he is listed as the collector in 1888 of Lepilaena australis and Xerotes juncea (MEL 3894 and MEL 20625 respectively).
i.e. Vienna Basin. See Engler (1889), p. 127, Ünger (1851), and Ettingshausen (1852).
Schenk, in Schimper & Schenk (1890), pp. 843, expresses similar doubts to Engler: 'Dass Proteaceen in der Tertiärzeit in Europa und Nordamerika existirt haben, halte ich für eine nicht durch Thatsachen unterstützte Behauptung' [That Proteaceae existed in Europe and North America in the Tertiary Period I consider an assertion not supported by facts].
Royal Geographical Society, Royal Horticultural Society. M again suggested that Tate join the Royal Geographical Society (M to R. Tate, 18 June 1890), but no evidence of a nomination has been found. The relevant membership records for the Royal Horticultural Society no longer exist.
Please cite as “FVM-88-09-17,” 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