Ɛpsilon

WCP2916

Letter (WCP2916.2806)

[1]1

21. XI. 08

Dear Dr Wallace

Thonner's2 recent book "Die Blüthenpflanzen Afrikas"3 contains statistics of the flowering plants of the whole world compiled from Engler4 & Prantl's5 Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien"6. His totals are genera 9942 and species [2] 136,000.

These totals are considerably higher than mine in the "Biologia Centrali- Americana"7 and probably nearer the truth.

Yours truly | W. Botting Hemsley8[signature]

1
In ARW’s handwriting, "Answd". See WCP1453. https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP1453
2
Thonner, Franz (1863-1928). Austrian taxonomist, botanist and explorer of Europe and N. Africa.
3
Thonner, F. 1908. Die Blütenpflanzen Afrikas — Eine Anleitung zum Bestimmen der Gattungen der afrikanischen Siphonogamen. Berlin: R. Friedländer.
4
Engler, Heinrich Gustav Adolf (1844-1930). German botanist. Director of the Berlin Botanic Gardens.
5
Prantl, Karl Anton Eugen (1849-1893). German botanist notable for Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edited with Adolf Engler.
6
Engler H. G. A. & Prantl, K. A. E. (Eds.) (1887-1915). Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 23 vols. Leipzig: Wilhelm Englemann.
7
Godman, Frederick DuCane & Salvin, Osbert (Eds.) (1879-1915) Biologia Centrali-Americana; Zoology, Botany and Archaeology, 63 vols. London: R. H. Porter.
8
Hemsley, William Botting (1843-1924). British botanist; Keeper at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1899-1908.

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] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP2916,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2916