From Eugene Hilgard to Ferdinand von Mueller   18 Nov 1894

November 18 1894

Baron Ferd. von Mueller, Melbourne.

My dear Sir,

I note that when writing to you last¹ I overlooked your question regarding the Monochlamydeae and Prof. E. L. Greene's views on their justification as a natural group.²

Prof. Greene is absent on a six months leave and I cannot ask him the question direct; but from the general tenor of his ideas I feel quite sure that he, with pretty nearly all of the advanced botanists of the world, considers Monachlamydeae as mere "Noth behelf"³ for a time, the usefulness of which is past. Not only that it is violently heterogenous within itself, but that the affinities of some of the groups with others of the Petalanthae is so obvious that it cannot be ignored. I remember that even in the olden time when I heard lectures on Botany, the professor used to apologize for the monochlamydism and apetalism of ranunculacaeous and rosaceous genera, saying "Man muss es aber damit nicht zu genau nehmen".⁴

An address made at the last meeting of the Amer. Ass'n Adv't of Sci. — I forget by whom — brought out most pointedly the idea, put forth by my brother T. C.⁵ twenty-five years ago, that the several typical groups of orders seem to undergo more or less parallel phases of development, from gamopetalism through polyetalism⁶ and monochlamydism to apetalism, and from hypogynism to epigynism.⁷ My brother once carried this idea out in graphic form, along the lines of a pentagram.⁸ Of course ideas may differ greatly as to the values to be assigned to the different points in variation; but I think few will maintain that a linear taxonomy can be made satisfactory in any way.

Now, thinking of it, I am not sure that I have told you that you are mistaken about the species of the oak that grows (it has but rarely been planted) on the San Francisco peninsula as well as on this side of the bay being Q.⁹ chrysolepis. That grows only on the higher portions of the Coast range and on the flanks of the Sierra Nevada, nor has it been planted to any extent hereabouts although it evidently does fairly well. Q. agrifolia prevails almost exclusively here along the coast; on the landward slopes of Coast ranges it is mixed with Q. Wisliceni¹⁰ and Kelloggii (Sonamensis¹¹ and in the valleys with Q. lobata. — This has been a very bad season for acorns all through the state; the caterpillar (Aletia)¹² has destroyed the foliage and crippled the acorns, so that my foremen in the Sierra foothills doubts that he will be able to obtain good seed of Q. chrysolepis. Here, where last year the ground was covered with acorns at this time, hardly one is to be seen.

We have obtained from Japan a lot of seed of the Polyg. Sachal.¹³ which is having a "boom" now, together with the Canaigre.¹⁴ I am just getting out a Bulletin on the latter¹⁵ and on the Atriplex, which will go to you by next mail steamer.¹⁶

Atriplex

Monochlamydeae

Petalanthae

Polygonum sachalinense

Quercus agrifolia

Quercus chrysolepis

Quercus Kelloggii

Quercus lobata

Quercus Sonamensis

Quercus Wisliceni