Melbourne, July 25, 1895
Mr. W. D. Keppel
Sir,—According to your request in your letter of June 29,1 I send you herewith fresh seed of Euchlaena luxurians.2 If you write to Mr. Holmes (Fiji), he will doubt|ess send you roots of the "wonder grass" (Panicum spectabile), which I have introduced there. In the latest edition of my book on "Select Extra-Tropical Plants for Industrial Culture"3 which I send you by this mail, you will also find notes by Mr. Holmes about the Panicum spectabile. I should be glad if you will make use of this important book with your newspaper, so that it will have the attention of the colonists, as it is the only work of its kind. 4 Please read also the preface with attention. If you would send me specimens of Samoan fibrous plants—branches with blossoms and seed, also samples of fibre, I should feel obliged. —I am, etc.,
(Signed) Ferd. von Mueller.
Euchlaena luxurians
Panicum spectabile
Letter not found.
Keppel requested additional seeds of the species from Joseph Maiden in Sydney, reporting that, of the 11 seeds he kept for himself after distributing seeds to nine other people, eight germinated. He went on to ask: 'Will you please try & get me a little more seed for I cannot very well ask the Baron "for more" or I may create a feeling akin to that which Oliver Twist created in Bumble' (W. Keppel to J. Maiden, 3 December 1892 (Archives of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, MRS 202, inwards correspondence, 1881-1950, 92/1227).
B91.09.01.
The article continues 'The seeds are of the following descriptions as quoted by Baron von Mueller', followed by extracts from B91.09.01 dealing with the following species:
Euchlaena luxurians, Panicum spectabile, Ervum lens, Andropogon sorghum, Phaseolus mungo var radiatus (M's heading is Phaseolus max, with synonyms P. mungo and P. radiatus), Dolichos biflorus. It is probable that these are the seeds alluded to in the editorial concerning this letter which states 'there are for distribution at the office of the Samoa Times a number of packets of seed to hand from Australia relating to pastorage, and fully described in the agricultural column' (which contains only M's letter and the extracts from B91.09.01) The extracts include information on Bassia latifolia (under Illippe latifolia in B91.09.01), seeds of which were expected to arrive for Keppel from India (Samoa times, editorial, 27 August 1892, p. 2).
Letter not found. The text given here is from Samoa times and South Sea advertiser, 27 August 1892, p. 2 (B92.07.08).
Please cite as “FVM-92-07-25a,” 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