[We have received from Baron Fred von Mueller, of the Phytologic Museum, Melbourne, a specimen of the Panicum Spectabile Coapim grass, from South Africa. This is a valuable fodder grass, and as the learned Baron knows the Bendigo district well, and has taken a very lively interest in stocking our reserves with suitable trees, shrubs, and other vegetation, he evidently considers this grass will flourish in the district. It is a vigorous grower, throwing out stems four feet long, as thick as wheat stems, thickly leaved, and with many joints, each of which will strike root. Cattle are very fond of it. Mr. Gadd has some of it growing at the nursery, Rosalind Park,1 which he grew from seed, and those interested, in such matters can see it there.]2
Panicum Spectabile
The Bendigo Botanic Garden, of which Gadd was Curator.
For other distribution of the grass at this time, see M to Bairnsdale advertiser and Tambo and Omeo chronicle, 16 March 1893, and notes thereto.
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Coapim Grass', Bendigo advertiser, 20 March 1893. p. [2]. It is dated to 18 March on the assumption that the plants had just been received when the paper was being edited and would have been sent from Melbourne on the day before the newspaper was prepared for the press.
Please cite as “FVM-93-03-18b,” 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