To William Thiselton-Dyer   7 March 1893

7/3/93.1

 

Am sorry, dear Dr Dyer, that I had lately so little to send to you; but I am just finishing a chromo-lithographic publication on the immigrated Thistles for the Agricuture-Department under the eradication act.2 So soon, as it is out, I will send you an impression.

The drawings of Gippsland-Fungs I have returned to Mr Tisdall FLS. A fair lot of seeds of Phormium tenax in its sport with yellow-striped leaves herewith, just ripened. We find, that a small proportion of the seedlings keep true to this coloration. I do not think, that this yellow-banded form is yet in many gardens.

This day I subscribed for the third time to the Queensl. Flood-fund. The bot Garden has fearfully suffered at Brisbane.3

Always regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

 

I think to be able, to send you a plant of the wonderful Verticordia, just sufficiently established by a Lady friend of mine, visiting Europe soon.4 It will be a great horticultural triumph, if it turns out V. oculata. We, i.e. private friends and I find here, that it strikes from young wood under a bell-glass with bottom-warmth. So you can soon multiply it after flowering.

 

Phormium tenax

Verticordia oculata

1
Date stamped: Royal Gardens Kew 7. Apr. 93.; annotated in ink by W. Watson: 179/1893 (i.e. register number in KewInwards Book of specimens received); in red ink by W. Hemsley: Ackd 8.4.93; and in pencil by W. Thiselton-Dyer: And 8/4/93 (letters not found).
2
B93.13.01.
3
See Brisbane courier, 23 January 1893, p. 5, col. e, for initial damage to the Botanic Garden, and later editions for the effects of flooding.
4
Esther Markes, neé Gibbs; see M to W. Thiselton-Dyer, 3 June 1893.

Please cite as “FVM-93-03-07a,” 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 26 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/93-03-07a