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Gray Herbarium Archives, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 72.05.05

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Asa Gray, 1872-05-05. 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/72-05-05>, accessed September 11, 2025

1
MS annotation in an unidentified hand, neither Gray's nor Sereno Watson's, 'Sent the Samolus &
Galax

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'; but see M to A. Gray, 8 December 1872, acknowledging receipt of a specimen of
Galax

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sent by Watson.
Melbourne bot Garden
5/5/72
I write only a few lines, dear Professor, to keep up correspondence. I have to send you many things but must wait til I get the chance of a ship sailing direct for Boston or New York. With extreme interest do I look forward to the elaboration of the Californian plants through yourself!
2
M is probably referring to Gray's beginning to work on his Synoptical Flora, which was to take account of the major collections made in the western United States since the publication of Torrey & Grey (1838-43). The first volume issued was volume 2, part 1 (Gray 1878). See Dupree (1959), especially chapter 19.
What a treasure that will be to phytographic literature!
There are two or three genera, about which I wish to say a few words, as likely they are represented in the Calif Vegetation
Blitum . This I have reduced to Chenopodium
3
M made the reduction in B69.06.03, p. 11.
as the position of the seeds cannot be relied on and as the calyx becomes more or less succulent also in some other salsolaceus genera. Thus among Atriplex we have the A. semibaccatum
4
A. semmibaccatum?
in which the sepals (particularly in their lower part) are getting as succulent as possible, being besides colored beautifully crimson. You are of course well aware, that many Blita have the calyx as dry as any Chenopodium.
Blitum virgatum

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I have called
Chenopodium Blitum

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,
5
B74.13.06, p. 60.
as there is already a
Chenopodium virgatum

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of Thunberg from Japan.
Apium

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. This must be so far enlarged as to include at least a portion of Helosciadium, a view adopted subsequently by Bentham & J. Hooker. Thus I referred
Helosciadium leptophyllum

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to
Apium

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.
6
B64.13.03, p. 184. The new combination was used by Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, p. 372, and the extension of
Apium

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was accepted by Bentham & Hooker (1862-83), vol. 1, part 3, p. 888.
Chenolea . Possibly species may occur on your saltplains, or - such as C. hirsuta (
Kochia hirsuta

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) - may become introduced. To this belong the Wing less Kochias, with or without spines. Indeed the winged Kochias are hardly more than a section of Chenolea, in as much as the wings on some of the flowers remain occasionally undeveloped.
Can you favor me with a few flowers and fruits of
Galax

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in a letter. I wish to compare the genus with some Australian ones.
I should feel also obliged for a few flowers & capsules of
Samolus ebracteatus

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, to be utilized for my supplement of the "vegetation of the Chatham Islands"; for this work the number of cotyledonous plants has become doubled by Mr. Travers last voyage,
7
Henry Travers visited the Chatham Islands during spring 1871 and summer 1871-2. M obtained the plant collections in April 1872 (see two letters M to R. Gore, 19 April 1872, and M to R. Gore, 19 April 1872 ( in this edition as 72-04-19a)), and preliminarily listed them in B73.05.01; algae were sent to J. Agardh, whose list of them was included in B74.06.01. No complete elaboration of the collection from Travers has been found.
but the additional species are almost all identical with New Zealand, while many interesting and remarkable novelties from Lord Howe's Island have passed into my hands.
8
M described and listed plants collected on Lord Howe Island in a number of issues of Fragmenta (e.g. B73.04.02, B74.03.01, B75.06.02) and included specimens gathered by Fullagar and Lindt, who spent a year there (see M to R. Ramsay, August 1874 (in this edition as 74-08-00)), and by Charles Moore in May-June 1869 (see 'Lord Howe Island', Sydney morning herald, 12 June 1869, pp. 7-8). References in Fragmenta to specimens from 'Moore et Fullagar' do not indicate that they collected together, as could be inferred from some sources: see APNI type statement for Celtis amblyphylla, described in B75.06.02, p.76. The date '1872' on M's label on MEL 1620657, a specimen collected by Moore, appears to refer to the date M received it from Moore, not when it was collected, but the Fragmenta entry indicates that he based his description on it as well as on that obtained by Fullagar. The interpretation that M collected the specimen of this plant now at Kew as K 852755 is clearly erroneous: see Lucas & Lucas (2014) for a discussion of the difficulty of identifying collectors, including of this specimen.
If any friend of yours living on the coast of the S. States would scatter simply the enclosed seeds over the sand in some gully and cover it with a few twigs, he would be sure to see a very important plant arise on your shores.
Always with best regards
Ferd. von Mueller.
Would you kindly furnish me with a few supplemental notes for my tree list,
9
B74.13.06.
also ask the excellent Dr. Chapman to do the same.