From Ferdinand von Mueller to Otto Tepper   28 Nov 1888

28/11/88

Es sollte mir sehr leid thun, lieber Herr Tepper, wenn meine letzten Bemerkungen hinsichtlich der Käng. Ins. Pflanzen zu einem Zerwürfniss zwischen Ihnen u Hr. Prof. Tate führen, u ich selbst seine Unzufriedenheit fühlen müsste

Schon im "Census" habe ich angegeben, dass Brachycome überhaupt nur ein subgenus von Bellis sei; selbst Labillardière nannte die Brachycome graminea ursprünglich Bellis graminea (1805). Asa Gray, Torrey und Steetz haben über dasselbe Theme schon in den vierziger Jahren des Jahrhunderts Notizen veröffentlicht! Es ist übrigens ein gewisser Unterschied im Receptaculum, den die südlichen Arten von den von der nördl Hemisphere trennt

Bestens grüssend

Ferd. von Mueller.

Mir ist die Leopoldina hier nicht zugänglich. Das Leihen des Heftes in welchen über die Wirkung von Euc. in Paralysis geschrieben ist, wird wohl nicht möglich sein. Jedenfalls möchte ich nichts aus dem dortigen Garten leihe u dadurch verpflichtet werden.

28/11/88

I should be very sorry, dear Mr Tepper, if my last remarks with regard to the Kangaroo Island1 plants led to a disagreement between you and Professor Tate, and I myself must feel his dissatisfaction.2

Already in the Census I have indicated that Brachycome is after all only a subgenus of Bellis;3 even Labillardière named Brachycome graminea originally Bellis graminea (1805).4 Asa Gray, Torrey and Steetz have published notes on the same theme as early as the forties of the century! By the way it is a certain difference in the receptaculum that separates the southern species from those of the Northern Hemisphere.

Best greetings

Ferd. von Mueller.

Leopoldina is not available to me here. The loan of the part in which the effect of Eucalyptus in paralysis is written about will probably not be possible.5 In any case I should not like to borrow anything from the garden6 there and be obligated thereby.

Bellis graminea

Brachycome graminea

Eucalyptus

SA.

The preceding surviving letter that mentions Kangaroo Island is M to O. Tepper, 7 July 1888 (in this edition as 88-07-07a); the only surviving letter from Tate after July mentioning Kangaroo Island is R. Tate to M, 16 October 1888. Neither of these letters contains an issue likely to have caused or to reflect a disagreement.

B83.03.04, p. 77.

Labillardière (1804-6), vol. 2, p. 54.

Merensky (1882).

M was not on good terms with Richard Schomburgk, Director of the Adelaide Botanic Garden: see, for example, M to O. Tepper, 12 December 1879; M to R. Tate, 10 June 1884 (in this edition as 84-06-10a); M to J. Cockburn, 15 August 1886 (in this edition as 86-08-15a).

MS annotation by Tepper: 'Reply 30.11.88'. Letter not found.

Please cite as “FVM-88-11-28,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/88-11-28