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From Ferdinand von Mueller to the Gardeners' Chronicle   [June 1892]

[Baron Von Mueller writes that Mr. Ch. Creswell, of Sydney,1 states that he recently found, near Port Jackson, a female cone of M. spiralis, which tapered at the top into a male portion to 8 inches long.2 He did not observe it at once, and afterwards could not find it again.]3

Macrozamia spiralis

1

Probably Charles Frederick Creswell (1855-1916) who was the manager, from 1880, of the Sydney branch of the seed merchants C. F. Creswell, a business founded in Hobart by his father, Charles Frederick Creswell (c1826-1895) and later extended to Melbourne and Sydney. From the mid-1870s the Sydney branch specialized in cycads and tree ferns.

2

No communication from Creswell has been found.

3

The item continued: 'We are familiar with similar changes in Conifers, but have never met with them in Cycads. The interest would be so great that we trust Mr. Creswell will be able shortly to rediscover his plant.'

4

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Monstrosity of Macrozamia spiralis’, Gardeners' chronicle, 6 August 1892, p. 161. It is dated to June 1892 as the latest likely date that it could have been sent to be printed in this issue.

Please cite as “FVM-92-06-00a,” 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/92-06-00a