Adraville,
Hunters Hill.1
6th Feb 90
Dear Baron
Thanks in anticipation for the last Census.2 I have made a search for a specimen of Corunastylis to send you but cannot, at present at least, find one. I think I must have sent them all to Mr Britten I intend on the cover of the next number to change the name to Anticheirostylis as I find the present name has been given to another genus.3 I do not see how it can be "an abnormal growth"4 seeing that Mr Sheaffe sent me three plants exactly alike. The bifid parts are below the column and must therefore be considered in my opinion petals, though I have put a ? to them on the plate. The column, if so, is without wings or appendages of any kind; But if the bifid parts be deemed to be wings of the column then the flower is without petals. There is one point, for certainty about which, I would much like to get another fresh specimen and that is, whether the stigma is in reality as indicated on the plates by the letter s, or terminal as in Apostasia. Speaking of Mr Britten I would be much obliged if in your next letter you would tell if you are aware of any reason why he has not for some time answered letters of mine. I have thought that possibly he might be dead or left the Museum.5
Yours truly
Robt D Fitzgerald
Anticheirostylis
Apostasia
Corunastylis
NSW.
B89.05.03.
Fitzgerald published the name Anticheirostylis on the back cover of his Australian orchids, R. Fitzgerald (1875-94), vol. 2, part 4, which, notwithstanding TL2's assertion that is was issued in March 1888, was reported as 'having at length appeared' in a long notice in the Sydney mail and New South Wales advertiser, 24 October 1891, pp. 902-3. A shorter notice also appeared in the Gardeners' chronicle, 16 January 1892. No prior use of Corunastylis has been found.
See M to H. Ridley, 28 August 1890 (in this edition as 90-08-28a).
James Britten had not died, nor had he left the British Museum (Natural History).
MS has been glued into a copy of R. Fitzgerald (1875-94), on the page marked 'Genus Corunastylis (Fitzgerald)'. MS annotation by M: 'Answ 10/2/90'. Letter not found.
Please cite as “FVM-90-02-06,” 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