The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne bot. Garden ¶ 23./6/64 ¶ Dear Mr Bentham. ¶ ¶ I am glad, that you caused already some 2 more boxes with Leguminosae more to be returned pr Sussex, for which I shall look out[.] For your pro...

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RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, f. 147. 64.06.23

Plant names

Acacia
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Brucea Sumatrana
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Brucea antidysenterica
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Glycyrrhiza
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Glycyrrhiza echinata
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Hymenanthera
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Leguminosae
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Pentadynamis
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Zornia chaetophora
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham, 1864-06-23. 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/64-06-23>, accessed April 19, 2025

Melbourne bot. Garden

23./6/64

Dear Mr Bentham.

I am glad, that you caused already some 2 more boxes with more to be returned pr Sussex, for which I shall look out[.] For your proofsheets I am eagerly looking forward, as I do not like to resume my labors on the plants of Victoria, until I know your views. I should not have thought that we had 250 phyllodineous e, but I may not be acquainted with all the S.W. & N.W. species.

Would it not be well to identify on this occasion the of Dampier, figured in the work on his travels?

M is presumably referring to Dampier (1729), to which he had access (see M to W. Hooker, 24 May 1862 (in this edition as 62-05-24a)). However, none of the species illustrated on the three plates of plants from New Holland (i.e. Australia) in this work have been identified as species; see George (1999). Bentham does not cite Dampier in his collection notes for these of for any other species of in Bentham (1863-78), vol. 2, pp. 301-421.

As regards I was evidently led astray by R Brown, for when before his appendix to Sturts travels appeared in 1848

R. Brown (1849).

I saw it for the first time on the Murray lagoons, I was struck with the resemblance of the plant to , but not having my University herbarium then with me, which arrived only some years later from Europe I could not compare the plants. To me as an Examiner in Therapeutics & Materia medica on our University, it is certainly not creditable, that I should have not recognized a true glycyrrhiza.

The roots of various species of , especially G. glabra, yield liquorice, used as a purge.

From the enclosed memorandum you will perceive, that the Embryo of is not correctly described in your genera plantarum,

Bentham & Hooker (1862-83).

where you seemed to have adopted implicitly the character from Fitch's plate.

J. Hooker (1853-5), vol. 1, t. 7, crassifolia; 'Fitch del & Lith.' The memorandum referred to has not been located.

I have also some error to point out in regard to . The petals of this & seemingly also of B. antidysenterica are not narrow &c.

RBr. is nothing else but Crotalaria dried in a young fructifying state, when the legumen may appear to be flat. I should never have imagined that could be reduced to any other species, from what I saw of it on the northern sandstone table land. Have you intermediate forms from other countries?

Some of the notes in the now transmitted two fascicles of the fragmenta may interest you.

With kindest regards

Ferd Mueller