Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M4, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 63.12.24

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

George Bentham to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1863-12-24. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/63-12-24>, accessed April 19, 2025

25, WILTON PLACE, S.W
Decr 24/63
My dear Sir
I have again made little progress and shall not get on very quick till I have done the
Leguminosae

Search for Leguminosae in

for Genera Plantarum.
1
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83).
I have settled the
Galegeae

Search for Galegeae in

— you will perhaps be surprised that I must unite Diplolobium with Swainsona — as in
Astragalus

Search for Astragalus in

the longitudinal division of the pod is not even a sectional character, there are several Astragali among the Tragacanthi, the Annui and some others besides
Phaca

Search for Phaca in

2
See Bentham & Hooker (1862-83), vol. 1, p. 507.
where there is no trace of it and others where it is only slightly intruded and
Phaca

Search for Phaca in

is now by common consent incorporated with
Astragalus

Search for Astragalus in

. Swainsona has the variable pod of
Astragalus

Search for Astragalus in

with the flowers nearly of
Lessertia

Search for Lessertia in

. I have a species from Drummond with the flower of S. procumbens only smaller and the pod as much divided as in Diplolobium — and the young pod of S. occidentalis is partially divided.
I find I was wrong about
Oxycladium

Search for Oxycladium in

— on soaking the remains which I thought showed a staminal sheath I found it was the remains of something else — I can find no trace of stamens so it may very possibly be an anomalous
Mirbelia

Search for Mirbelia in

as you suggest
3
M to G. Bentham, 10 September 1863 (in this edition as 63-09-10b).
— but it is very seldom that the pod alone will fix the genus of a Leguminous plant and
Oxycladium

Search for Oxycladium in

must remain doubtful till the flowers are seen. I have two or three other anomalous
Leguminosae

Search for Leguminosae in

from Cunningham in very good fruit and foliage but which I can make nothing of for want of flowers.
Since writing the above the mail has brought a small parcel of plants from De Grey river etc from Ridley's expedition
4
See J. B. Ridley's account of his expedition from Nicol Bay to the De Grey River, Inquirer and commercial news (Perth), 30 September 1863, p. 3.
in which are capital specimens of Swainsona (Diplolobium) Walcottii in flower and fruit fully confirming the above identification
The mail has also brought yours of the 15th Oct. I have written to enquire about the 30 copies of the 1st vol. for your Government Reeve writes to me in answer that he hears from Baillière that the vessel which took them only sailed on the 1st Augt so that I trust you have them long ere this.
5
Reeve probably arranged for Hippolyte Baillière in London to send them via his son Ferdinand Baillière in Melbourne.
The parcels per Norfolk are all received safe and the Monarch is just arrived so that I shall have the two last boxes — as I shall then have all the supplementary
Leguminosae

Search for Leguminosae in

I shall finish off and despatch one or two boxes of
Papilionaceae

Search for Papilionaceae in

— I have been waiting to go over what I have done once till all the addenda should have come in as it takes an immense time going over again with specimens in double sheets — our plants being all glued down on single sheets of rather stiff paper are sorted and referred to backwards and forwards in a quarter of the time
I have at last got through those tribes of
Leguminosae

Search for Leguminosae in

which took up so much time in examining (for Genera Plantarum) the European Asiatic & N. American genera which I had never looked much into. I have now nearly finished
Hedysareae

Search for Hedysareae in

and shall get on rapidly with
Phaseoleae

Search for Phaseoleae in

and
Dalbergieae

Search for Dalbergieae in

which I have almost monographised in previous work.
The two Australian Aeschynomenes I have seen are the Indian Ae. (Euaeschynomene) indica & the S. American and S. African Ae. (Ochopodium) falcata DC. the same as Ae. micrantha DC.
All the Australian Zornias I have seen are varieties of the ubiquitous Z. diphylla Pers.
I do not think that poisoned paper would — if it could be safely managed — quite answer the purpose — and we do not find it take so much trouble to poison the specimens which is regularly done as they come back from the gluer. Before the herbarium was poisoned — now many years ago — there was much damage done but now we never find living insects in the laid-in herbarium.
Dr Hooker is now printing his 'Handbook of the N. Zealand Flora'
6
J. Hooker (1864-7).
in the type & style of Fl. Hong Kong & Fl. Austral. — as soon as that is nearly done I shall begin my 2d vol. for the printer can easily go on with the two at once. I suppose it will be March before I put the volume into his hands and July by the time it is published. I have no doubt you will kindly send me the
Myrtaceae

Search for Myrtaceae in

in time most if not all of which will come into the 2d vol — the 3d vol for the following year ought to include
Umbelliferae

Search for Umbelliferae in

Rubiaceae

Search for Rubiaceae in

&
Compositae

Search for Compositae in

and intervening small Orders.
Ever yours sincerely
George Bentham
Dr F Mueller