Radda (Chianti) Prov. di Siena
4th September 1909
Dear Sir
I am sorry of not having been able to send you, before now, the data you required but my correspondent was not at his usual residence and only now I receive an answer.
According to the latest census the species of Phanerograms in
Italy are ……………. No. 4350
in Sicily species........... ". 2070
area 9940 sq. m.
in Sardinia 9300……... ". 1770
Species endemic in Italy (including the Islands)...". 180 [and] and 29 sp[ecies]. of Hieracium (micro species!)
[2]Species endemic in Sicily…No. 17
and 3 sp. of Hieracium
""in Sardinia… "17.
The Flora of Susa in Piedmont (Area: 1400 =500 sq. miles square kilometres) contains 2203 species, according to Prof. Mattirolo’s "Flora Segustina" (1907).1
I hope to be able to give you later the number of species of an equal area in the lowland of Piedmont or of Lombardy.
In the Province of Ferrara,
1012 sq. m.
of which I regret of not [3] knowing, presently, the exact area, are enumerated 774 sp. by Revedin.
As a supplementary information about the Flora of New Guinea I inclose[sic] a letter which I have received on that subject from Dr. Lauterbach.2
In the hope that the above data may be of use to you
I remain | Yours sincerely | O. Beccari. [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP2964.2854)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Letter to Dr Beccarie — 19th September 1909
Translation
In reply to your esteemed inquiry of the 12th inst. I can inform you that, until the year 1905, altogether about 2048 Phanerogams of German New Guinea were known. To these have been added during the last few years in this part of the country, only a few perhaps 10-20; species (kinds, varieties?)][.] According to my inexperienced estimate about 1,000 more Phanerogams, which till now in German New Guinea have not been known, have been established in the other part of New Guinea (Pupuasicus & Warburg's).
But through the last Dutch expedition this later number may well have been doubled: I judge this from the families which have been sent me for working up.,
Through the collections made by Schlechter himself in the last few years & from his own communications, an immense increase in the number of species (kinds, varieties) for German New Guinea is in prospect. I believe indeed that one would [2] not estimate it too highly if one reckoned the sum total of the Papuan Phanerogams at a round number of 10,000.
(Dr.) Lauterbuch [signature]
Stabelintz, bei Lissa, Posen, Prussia
Dutch New Guinea 152000 sq. miles
German " " 70.000 " "
British " " 88,500 " "
—————
310.500
Status: Draft transcription [Enclosure (WCP2964.5920)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP2964,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP2964