The tree is Eugenia Ventenatii, a native of New South Wales and Queensland. It was formerly known in European gardens as Metrosideros floribunda and Acmena floribunda.
Acmena floribunda
Eugenia Ventenatii
Metrosideros floribunda
Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Horticultural. Answers to correspondents', Australasian (Melbourne), 15 December 1894, p. 1062. Assuming that the reply would be published in the next available issue in this weekly newspaper, it is dated to 7 December 1894 as the likely earliest date it would have been sent.
The text is introduced by '"Mitcham."—Baron von Mueller says":—'.
Please cite as “FVM-94-12-07,” 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