September 25th [189]31
Baron von Mueller
Government Botanist for Victoria
Only a description forgotten in my last letters — Gomphandra polymorpha [Wight var].2
A handsome tree of about [60] ft. in height, the inflorescence and young [shoots puberulent,] otherwise glabrous. Leaves alternate, [3 to 5] in. long, [ovate]-lanceolate with a more or less [elongated blunt] apex and with base cuneate […]3petioles of about [4 or 5] lines, upper surface dark green, under surface pale, primary veins distinct4 only 3 or 4 on each side of the midrib, [reticulate veinlets] obscure, margins entire. Flowers in […]5 dichotomous cymes Calyx very short — cupshaped, the margins almost or quite entire.6 Corolla-tube about 2 lines long, with minute […]7 [teeth] from which proceeds down to the […]8 with a prominent rib.9 Stamens […]10 at length widely spreading but incurved11 at the anthers. Ovary glabrous, 4 angled. Stigma sessile. Fruit not as yet gathered.12 I cannot separate the above plant from the Indian species of which several (5) varieties are named13 in Hook Fl of Brit India I. 586.14 From the fragmentary specimens […]15 of G. australiana the present plant seems to differ considerably both in foliage and inflorescence.16
Hab. Scrubs of the Barron river. [E. Cowley].
Extrapr. from Bot Bull. No. VIII17 now being printed
Yours in haste
F. M. Bailey
Specimens sent by same mail
Gomphandra australiana
Gomphandra polymorpha
editorial addition.
The ink has run in the letterpress copy and much of the text is illegible. The description of 'G. polymorpha. Wight, var. 6' is given in Bailey (1893), p. 72. That source has been used to guide the transcription and unless otherwise stated the words in brackets are based upon it. Where an illegible part of the MS does not seem to match the printed text, '[…]' is used. Other differences between this MS and the printed text are noted.
Printed text has and cuneate base.
Printed text has dark green on the upper, pale on the under surface; the primary veins distinct.
Printed text has axillary, but the MS does not resemble that word, and may be two words.
Printed text has cup-shaped, with almost entire edge.
interlined word illegible.
two illegible words, one interlined.
Printed text has teeth, the tips inflexed, from which proceeds down the inside of the corolla-tube
two, or three, illegible words, one interlined. Printed text has glabrous, 5,
Printed text has incurved again
Printed text has Fruit not as yet been gathered
Printed text has I cannot separate this plant from the East Indian species, of which several (5) varieties are named and described.
J. Hooker (1875-97). The Olacineae, including Gomphandra in the tribe Icacineae, was written by M. T. Masters.
I have?
Printed text has of G. australiana, F. v. M., the present plant.
i.e., an 'extraprint' containing the species description as it appeared in Bailey (1893), which has a cover date of December 1893.
Please cite as “FVM-93-09-25a,” 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