Short description of an oily edible nut found climbing over the scrub trees at the Johnstone River Northern Queensland
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a large rampant climber
Leaves alternate with 2 prominent glands at the top of the petiole, broadly ovate shortly acuminate the base truncately rounded 4 to 6 ins long often over 4 in broad. on petiole of about 1 to 1½ in long, penninerved with few distant prominent veins which anastomase and form a looped intermarginal one the smaller reticulations not very prominent — leave near the inflorescence narrow lanceolate on longer petioles —Inflorescence terminal or in the upper axils slightly tomentose in short rather dense forked cymes — flowers pedicellate;1 bracts short with sublate points, closely appressed and scarcely more that 1 line long. Segments of perianth imbricate enlarging under the fruit —
Style short — having a capulate 4-lobed stigma
Dear Baron
I just received a few more of the climber which is said to bear the 3 nuts in a fruit sent some months ago — and for fear they might be in poor condition when you receive them I began a diagnosis to help you but when I came to the flower and ovary I am in very great doubt if these flowers are from the plant bearing the nuts in question So I stoped and send on all my material feeling sure you set the matter to rights — It does seem hard that we cannot depend upon the observation of collectors but we cannot so there is an end to it
yours very truly
F M Bailey
I had overlooked these specimens when packing up the others yesterday
FMB
Johnstone River climbing nut— largely eaten The flowers belonging to the nut I send you my remaining fruit and hope to hear soon2
Please cite as “FVM-89-00-00v,” 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/89-00-00v