13/11/91.
Among the plants, which you kindly sent to the spring-show, dear Miss Henley, was a Swainsona, which is either an unusual variety of a known species, or it may be altogether new. In the latter case I will name it in honor of yourself.1
To give the plant its exact position in the phytologic system, it will be necessary, to obtain also ripe pods, not loose, but on leafy branches. Kindly say, under what circumstances it occurs, whether it is rare, whether the flowers are fragrant &c I like also to have a rooted specimen, so as to see, whether it is annual or perennial.
If your brothers received from me by post to their station large paper envelopes, could such be filled there with any kinds of plants in flower and in seed, dried and be returned by post?2 This would give from their new locality additional material for tracing the geographic distribution of many native plants. Perhaps you can enjoy a journey to their place, when you would be sure to make many discoveries. I like from that region also ripe seeds of the best saltbushes I can send your brothers seeds of Kitchen vegetables in return, also roots of the wonderful Panicum spectabile (See "Select pl.".3
Regardfully your
Ferd von Mueller
Panicum spectabile
Swainsona
Please cite as “FVM-91-11-13,” 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