The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne bot Garden ¶ 5/2/68. ¶ ¶ From the byefollowing memorandum & bill of loading you will perceive, dear Mr Bentham, that the " ¶ True Britain ¶ " brings you an other consignment of plants. I am...

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RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, ff. 300-3. 68.02.05

Plant names

Abies Alberti
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Acotyledoneae
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Acrostichum scandens
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Aldrovanda
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Aniseia
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Bonnaya crustaceae
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Bonnaya veronicifolia
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Centotheca
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Cirrhopetalum
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Convolvulaceae
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Cordyline
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Corolliflorae
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Cryphia
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Cucurbita
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Dracaena
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Duperreya
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Erycibe
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Geophila
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Glossostigma
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Goodenia ovata
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Grammitis pinnata
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Hibbertia
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Ipomoea longiflora
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Ipomoeae Bona Nox
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Isoetes
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Jasminum Australe
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Jasminum didymum
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Jasminum divaricatum
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Jasminum gracile
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Labiatae
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Limnophila
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Limosella
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Lindernia
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Monochlamydeae
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Monocotyledoneae
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Monopetaleae
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Myoporinae
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Porana
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Prostanthera
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Pulteneae
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SaxonoGothaea conspicua
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Scrophularinae
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Sowerbaea
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Spathoglottis
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Torrenia
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Verbenaceae
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Wilsonia
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham, 1868-02-05. 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/68-02-05>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melbourne bot Garden

5/2/68.

From the byefollowing memorandum & bill of loading you will perceive, dear Mr Bentham, that the " True Britain " brings you an other consignment of plants. I am nearly ready with an other box of , to be sent within a few days by the " Dover Castle and then an other can follow towards the end of the month by the Norfolk .

True Britain (sic: True Briton) sailed 23 January 1868; Dover Castle, 11 February 1868; Norfolk, 29 February 1868 (Notebook recording despatch of plants for Flora Australiensis, RB, MSS, M44, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne).

These 2 will probably take all the rest of , except ([unless] ) which alone will fill one large box, & that must go by the first clipper in March. Then the consignments for vol IV will be completed, unless you should really wish to press into it also .

The delay of sending will have to you some advantages, in as much as you will receive much additional information; indeed it involves to me in many instances far more labor to match a large series of specimens, then

than?

arises to you in briefly describing such already arranged material. It would be unwise to risk the sending of such valuable collections over the ocean, without previously notes thereon being extensively secured. I have placed a good deal of observations on , Scrophular[inae]

editorial addition. — Text obscured by binding strip.

&c &c into the 44th number of the Fragmenta;

B68.02.03. See note 13 below.

still the new species are not numerous (three of &c)

You may blame me, that I not steadily continue to work exactly on those orders required by you. This apparent unsteadiness of purpose is easily accounted for; the frequent enquiries at my department on plants, the flowering of certain rare or new species in the garden necessitates often my engaging on examinations, which if my Directorat did not demand them, would stand over for a time. Thus I have lately examined ferns again & orchids for the reasons indicated. Still all this work will tend to lessen your own labor much hereafter. I think however, that if the political turmoils do not cause real troubles, I can quietly continue to help the flora on, because we had fortunately neither flood nor drought this season; there is also this year no intercolonial Exhibition or Leichhardt search to claim a large share of my spare time; and if my health not suffers again amidst work always here enormous, I think you will have a great deal of aid from me for some time to come.

In the interest of the "Flora" itself I could wish, you would not unduely hurry on the work! Let us bestow full time and consideration on it. You are in firm health & likely to enjoy many years of life after this great undertaking has crowned your labors. It would be far better to postpone the printing of the IV vol til after your Summer-tour so that the volume may appear at the end of the year.

Vol. IV of Flora australiensis was published with the date of 1869, but TL2 give the actual publication date as 16 December 1868.

Indeed the last cannot possibly arrive at Kew from here before the beginning of June. You will be pleased to hear, that I have incorporated Drummonds great collections and all my own supplemental collections into the genera (& often species), so that should providence call me suddenly away no difficulty will arise in your receiving all the , & . Only do not press me to such extent that I injure my health by overwork; and to publish without my collections would bring about a dreadfully imperfect work.

Successive collections bring always one or the other genus, new to Australia. Thus I have lately added , , (distinct in testa albumen & embryo from ), , , , , &c I have united Morgania to , to

B68.02.03, p. 100.

&c. In working on I described the embryo of two e.

humilis and W. backhousii, B68.02.03, p. 101.

includes .

B68.02.03, p. 100.

in a new species has come from the eastern tropics! Involute & convolute leaves give in sectional characters as in , &c. It would be worth recording, that is [ever] flowering . I reestablish in its wider sense. occurs in Queensland. I regard it a ,

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 4 did not accept the reunification made by M in B68.02.03, p. 101, and maintained the division between Bonnya and . Bonnya crustaceae not in IPNI.

but B. crustaceae with RBr as .

Torenia? See 68.02.03, pp. 101-2.

Nearly half of RBr will have finally to be reduced, but this surplus will be made up for by so many new species already discovered or even by [newer] in orders like &c

I have now & also from Australia. I think the supplemental volume should be divided, into two parts; one exclusive for species new to the work since its publication; the other parts for emendatory notes & additional information on the range of the species. In mixing new descriptions & additional notes, all clearness of sight over the material is lost.

Once more asking you not to push me to hard & wishing you every happiness & health

I remain your very regardful

Ferd Mueller.

H.R.H. Prince Alfred planted an and a Saxono-Gothaea conspicua in my garden. The Prince was very affable.

The Hon. G. Verdon, our Minister of Finances, has given instructions to the Colonial Agent to honor your call for £100 at once out of fund at his disposal! Legally we cannot send anything from here until the two Houses of Parliament agreed to an Approriations Bill.

See M to G. Bentham, 21 December 1867.

I have from Arnhems land!

I have … land marginal note.

The following text is bound as f. 24, and is annotated in pencil in a unknown hand ‘Vol iv’, i.e. Bentham (1863-78), vol. 4. It has been included here on the following basis:

M normally worked up groups before they were sent to Kew for Bentham’s use (Lucas 2003). M’s analyses of the Jasmineae and the Convolvulacea were published in B67.12.01, pp 86 – 87 (Jasmineae) and B68.02.03, pp 96-101 ( : Ipomoe longiflora, p. 98). This note was presumably written after M’s notes were published in February but before his extensive comments (M to G. Bentham, October 1868 [in this edition as 68-10-00a]) on the proof sheets containing these pages which M probably received in October 1868. The earliest date is thus February 1868.

I overlooked in my printed notes, that Seeman identifies with J. Australe and J. divaricatum with J. didymum; also that Choisy reduced to .

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 4 treated J. didymum on p. 294, noting J. divaricatum as a synonym; he treated J. australe and J. gracile as synonyms of J. simplicifolium (p. 296). Bentham did not accept Choisy’s reduction of to I. bona-nox (p. 419).

What may be ? May it not be some ?

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 5, p. 91 treated as a synonym of . M’s treatment of the , including , was also published in B68.02.03.