WCP2916

Letter (WCP2916.2806)

[1]1

[No address]

21. XI. [19]082

Dear Dr Wallace

Thonner's3 recent book "Die Blüthenpflanzen Afrikas"4 [sic] contains statistics of the flowering plants of the whole world compiled from Engler5 & Prantl's6 Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien"7[sic]. His totals are genera 9942 and species [2] 136,000.

These totals are considerably higher than mine in the "Biologia Centrali- Americana"8,9 and probably nearer the truth.

Yours truly | W. Botting Hemsley10

1
Page numbered 304 in pencil in top RH corner and "Answ[ere]d" written across top LH corner in ink.
2
Year deduced from birth and death dates of author.
3
Thonner, Franz (1863-1928). Austrian taxonomist, botanist and explorer of Europe and N. Africa.
4
Thonner, F. (1908) Die Blütenpflanzen Afrikas — Eine Anleitung zum Bestimmen der Gattungen der afrikanischen Siphonogamen, R. Friedländer, Berlin.
5
Engler, Heinrich Gustav Adolf (1844-1930) German botanist notable for his work on plant taxonomy and phytogeography such as Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien (The Natural Plant Families), edited with Karl Prantl (see Endnote 6).
6
Prantl, Karl Anton Eugen (1849-1893). German botanist notable for Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edited with Henrich Engler (see Endnote 5).
7
Engler H. G. A. & Prantl, K. A. E. (Eds.) (1887-1915) Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 23 vols., Wilhelm Englemann, Leipzig.
8
Godman, Frederick DuCane & Salvin, Osbert (Eds.) (1879-1915) Biologia Centrali-Americana; Zoology, Botany and Archaeology, 63 vols., R. H. Porter, London.
9
In total, 50,263 species are treated in Biologia Centrali-Americana, of which 19,263 are described as new (see Endnote 8).
10
British Museum stamp underneath.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2916.2806)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by O'Dell, Sandra [2015-04-09] Transcription checked by Benny, Ruth [2015-04-09] Transcription checked by Sherwood, Danni [2020-08-10]

Please cite as “WCP2916,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 3 May 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2916