The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: My dear Sir ¶ ¶ As soon as I received the last box of Leguminosae in the beginning of last month I set about revising the Papilionaceae down to Hedysareae with your specimens and have now packed and ...

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Physical location:

RB MSS M4, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 64.02.25a

Plant names

Caesalpinieae
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Chorizema
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Chorizema Leichhardtii
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Chorizema Pultenaeae
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Chorizema parviflorum
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Dalbergieae
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Diplolobium Walcottii
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Eugenia
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Gastrolobium
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Hedysareae
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Indigofera glandulosa
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Isotropis Wheeleri
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Isotropis filicaulis
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Leguminosae
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Mirbelia
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Oxylobium Pultenaeae
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Oxylobium alpestre
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Oxylobium elachophyllum
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Oxylobium ellipticum
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Oxylobium hamulosum
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Papilionaceae
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Phaseoleae
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Podalyrieae
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Psoralea Leichhardtii
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Pultenaea
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Swainsona occidentalis
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Preferred Citation:

George Bentham to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1864-02-25 [64.02.25a]. 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/64-02-25a>, accessed April 19, 2025

My dear Sir

As soon as I received the last box of in the beginning of last month I set about revising the down to with your specimens and have now packed and sent off two boxes per "Suffolk" and hope to enclose the bill of lading — This took me above a month — much longer than I expected. The Oxylobiums s s and s were much mixed and I had to examine the ovaries of a great many specimens — but I remained further convinced that these genera connected as they are must be kept up. appears to me to be readily distinguished by the keel — s are sometimes more difficult to separate from Oxylobium, and s can often only be determined by soaking the ovary. I had also a great deal of trouble again with s and Swainsonas — among the latter specimens that have not fruit as well as flower must often remain doubtful — some from Ridley's

See J. B. Ridley's account of his expedition from Nicol Bay to the De Grey River, WA, Inquirer and commercial news (Perth), 30 September 1863, p. 3.

Expedition to Nickol Bay & De Grey river in flower and fruit show that is identical with S. occidentalis.

With your letter of Decr just received

See M to G. Bentham, 12 December 1863.

were some specimens of " " this is O. hamulosum A. Gray Bot. Amer. Expl. Exped.

A. Gray (1854). See also Bentham's annotation on M to G. Bentham, 12 December 1863, n. 33.

a species closely allied to and perhaps not distinct from O. e DC. The latter is not in your herbarium — the one you mistook for it ( F. Muell) is Benth in Ann Wien. Mus.

Bentham (1837), p. 71.

— your is my Benth in Ann Wien Mus

Bentham (1837), p. 71.

very nearly allied to but distinct from your — I fear I must suppress also your which is the Indian . There are always 2 ovules, at least, the pod is at length 2-valved and the anthers are those of Indogofera not of Psoralea.

I am glad to hear you have obtained Steetz's herbarium

See M to G. Bentham, 12 December 1863, and also Short & Sinkora (1988).

as I have no doubt there is much in it authentically named — and his set of Preiss's plants is I dare to say as good as any — Sonder's is nearly complete and without it I should never have guessed at such species as for instance Steudel's Steetz was not always quite accurate in his deteminations but yet much more so than many others who worked at Preiss's plants

The two boxes sent contain all the except two or three parcels which were put to go but which would not go into the boxes — I have enough ready to fill another box but as you did not wish too many to go by the same vessel I keep them for next time.

I have just done — then are pretty well done for Genera and there are not above 2 or 3 Australian species and I think I shall only do the Australian so as to get as soon as possible to Acacia As soon as are done I shall commence printing.

With regard to keeping up as Wight proposed

See M to G. Bentham, 12 December 1863. Wight (1840-53), vol. 2, pp 12-18, proposed using several sub-genera.

I do not know how it can be done taking the American ones into account O. Berg

See, for example, O. Berg (1857-59), pp. 214-326.

has published between 400 & 500 Brasilian s in the most restricted sense — and I believe that half of them at least are good species.

I can assure you that all your plants are kept perfectly dry in the rooms in which I work — they are packed to return to you in the Herbarium and do not go at all to the tinsman's shop nor out of the house — which is perfectly dry — till they are soldered up and closed when they are taken at once to the shipping agent's.

See M to G. Bentham, 12 December 1863.

I trust you will receive what are now sent in good order.

I have kept up your though with some hesitation — most of the specimens so marked which you first sent were the true O. ellipticum as you afterwards corrected them in your herbarium — and the two are certainly very much alike.

Maxwell's last plants from the eastward of Cape Riche are certainly very good — but most of them were already in Drummond's and Baxter's

i.e. James Drummond (1784-1863); William Baxter fl. 1820s-1830s.

collections who both of them must have gone some way to the Eastward — this however gives you many of Turczaninow's — he published above 50 of Drummond's .

Ever yours sincerely

George Bentham

Febr 25/64

The bill of lading is I believe sent to you direct from Kew