The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne ¶ 7/11/73. ¶ ¶ After my work for the outgoing European mail was completed, dear Mr Buchanan, ¶ I looked more closely over your specimens, and I found that you ¶ did ¶ send 2 small branch...

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Physical location:

A644, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. 73.11.07b

Plant names

Carex
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Cyperaceae
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Cyperus tenellus
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Dovea
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Elegia
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Gahnia
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Gaimardia
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Isolepis nodosa
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Juncus
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Lepyrodia
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Restiaceae
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Schoenus brevifolius
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Scirpus lacustris
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to John Buchanan, 1873-11-07 [73.11.07b]. 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/73-11-07b>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melbourne

7/11/73.

After my work for the outgoing European mail was completed, dear Mr Buchanan,

John Buchanan (1819-98).

I looked more closely over your specimens, and I found that you did send 2 small branchlets of the female of the supposed , which prove this rushlike plant to belong to the nucular not to the capsular section or series of .

See M. to J. Buchanan, 7 November 1873 (in this edition as 73-11-07a).

It stands precisely in the same relation to as in S. Africa the genus stands to ; but as it would introduce a foreign element into the N. Z. flora, it will be best to keep the Chatham Island plant apart from especially as it has not the deciduous petioles and the large bracts of that genus. Hence nothing is left but to create a new genus for the Chatham-plant and this I intend to call Sporadanthes .

No published description of Sporodanthes has been found, although M alluded to it in B74.09.02, p. 236, citing the published extract from this letter, B74.06.03.

Be so kind to inform me, whether soon any prints of the N.Z. Institute will appear, as in such a case I could furnish a few notes on the subject for publication. Your N.8 & N.3 (sent perhaps by misplacing the labels as Junci) are Br. The N.4 is a Scirpus of the series of S. lacustris L. As this series is represented in all parts of the globe, it requires to get together many specimens from the N. & S. Hemisphere & to examine them connectedly. This I intend to do soon, when I have to work up finally the for the 7th vol. of the Australian Flora,

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, pp. 246-449.

and then your plant shall also he attended to No universal writer has ever properly defined the limits even of the common ordinary . Your Cyperus though new for N.Z. may not be new to science. I have about half a hundred Cyperi from Australia, and when critically examining them, will attend to your also. I pointed out to Mr Th. Kirk

Letter not found.

the identity of his minute annual Cyperus with the S. African Cyper. tenellus before Dr Hooker's second volume appeared.

J. Hooker (1864-7), p. 745.

This shows how carefully anyone must work on these like plants.

Your N.2 is, so far as I can see, identical with the Australian Br, but no ripe fruits are on your specimens. In this instance and that concerning the Cyperus it would be well to let me know, whether these plants occur only on a few spots near settlements or whether they are widely distributed. In the former case it might be assumed, that they are merely immigrants; in the latter case one would feel justified in adopting them as true N.Z. species. As regards , , &c, it is best to let the examination stand over until I come to the Australian species for the next volume, when the whole can be examined connectedly.

i.e. Vol. 9 of M's Fragmenta. M's main analysis of was in B76.01.09, pp. 6-40 and 52-8, with additions on pp. 79-80, 100 and 191-2. See Lucas (2003) for a discussion of M's working patterns associated with the production of Bentham (1863-78).

No one can leave his regular engagements for piece work, at least only under particular circumstances, nor is it possible to do full justice to such plants taking them up by themselves. Whenever you will provide me with good specimens, bearing ripe fruit, I will sooner or later examine them fully; I will also be happy in any special case to give you pointed information at once, so far as I can.

Have you any of the s of the N.Z. flora to spare? If so, I should be grateful for some specimens. That genus, as far as hitherto known, is not represented in Australia.

Be so kind to label fully any plants, each individually, as regards locality &c, as otherwise mistakes may arise

Regardfully yr

Ferd. von Mueller

The size of labels, shown by the sample, is a good one, and here in use.