From Augustus Simson to Ferdinand von Mueller   17 July 1892

Launceston, 17th July, 1892.

My Dear Sir,

I duly received your notes & my list of plants,¹ for which I am much obliged. I have not yet seen Mr. Gunn, to ask him abt. his Father's doings at the Lakes; I fear he will not know anything abt. it. I will look for Lemnas when I have the chance. — I note you have kept back No. 2369.²

My fishermen-friends go generally too late in the season to do much; further, though two of them notice strange plants, they are so eager after fishing, that they are not likely to notice anything, except on the lake shore. They begin early & keep on fishing often till 11 or 12 at night.

Dillwynia peduncularis. from near Avoca.³ — I have seen but once, & I have not got, or seen, D. ericaefolia; I will keep a look-out.

Haloragis heterophylla — is this a synonym for ceratophylla? In your "Key to the System of Victorian Plants", No 1.⁴ — last-named is not mentioned, though it is in No. 2.⁵ in the Systematic list of Plants.

Boronia elatior. flowers are not scented.

Pomaderris subrepanda. I note is an addition to the Tasmanian Flora; I send you two specimens additional. — Will try for some more first chance; I can find the exact spot again, nr. Avoca.

Trochocarpa disticha. Nos. 2495 & 2499. — With one of these there is what I took for the fruit, but which must have been an abnormal growth, I imagine. The calyx had become fleshy, & there were like fruits, this shape,⁶ coming out of it, white & pale pinkish color, waxy looking, so that when I found the second lots, with bluish berries, I thought they must be different species.

The plant you have omitted from your list of additions to Tasmanian Flora, in last year's Proceedings of Royal Society of Tasmania is Helipterum exiguum — which I found on "Brady's Look-out," near Swansea,⁷ on my wedding trip in Oct. 1881, & sent you some time later, & you gave me the name.⁸

I send you a specimen, the only one I have, of a Candollea (Stylidium) — I got at Table-cape in Jany. last. The flowers were white & are very small. There were more abt. like it, but I have lost them. Is it only a variety of C. graminifolium?⁹

Another I send is what I had in my list as Gnaphalium alpigenum, & I think you did not look at it. It seems to me now not to be a Gnaphalium at all, but I do not know what it is. Would you mind looking at it again?

Hearing from Rodway¹⁰ that he got Corysanthes bicalcarata from Georges' Bay, I compared my specimens of C. pruinosa with one he sent of C. bicalcarata, & I fancy one batch I got in 1877 may be the last-named. Enclosed are two specimens. If so I have had it nearly 15 years, without knowing it!! I did not know there were more than one species, so concluded it must be C. pruinosa.

With many thanks for your kindness, & apologies for troubling you again,

I am, my dear Sir,

Your very truly,

Aug Simson

Baron F. von Müller, F.R.S.

Melbourne.

Boronia elatior

Candollea graminifolium

Corysanthes bicalcarata

Corysanthes pruinosa

Dillwynia ericaefolia

Dillwynia peduncularis

Gnaphalium alpigenum

Haloragis ceratophylla

Haloragis heterophylla

Helipterum exiguum

Lemna

Pomaderris subrepanda

Stylidium graminifolium

Trochocarpa disticha