The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 12/10/81. ¶ ¶ The discovery of Quinetia Urvillei, ¶ MS annotation by Tate: 'north side of Section 5458. Golden Grove'. ¶ ¶ dear Prof. Tate, rightly recognized by you, is an interesting addition to t...

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Physical location:

Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide, SA. 81.10.12a

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Ralph Tate, 1881-10-12 [81.10.12a]. 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/81-10-12a>, accessed September 11, 2025

12/10/81.

The discovery of Quinetia Urvillei,

MS annotation by Tate: 'north side of Section 5458. Golden Grove'.

dear Prof. Tate, rightly recognized by you, is an interesting addition to the S.A. Flora. I have looked for it there in vain; but it may be local there, though such annuals are as a rule of gregarious distribution. There is of course the possibility, that it may in the frequent intercourse with K.G.S.

King George Sound, WA.

have been introduced. In W.A. (or S. W. Austr rather) it is far more common then

than?

should be thought from the note in the "Flora"

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, p. 595 gives only King George's Sound (sic)and Bowes and Blackwood Rivers. M to R. Tate, 27 October 1881, gives arguments why the species should not be considered native to SA.

I am among the supplemental Acacias and may have a few to add from the Rev. Mr Kempe's & Mr Giles's

Uncertain referent: MEL has Acacia specimens collected by Alfred Giles, his brother Christopher Giles and Ernest Giles from the relevant area; not all specimens are dated.

collection; but the specimens are not always indeed seldom perfect; and in such a large and intricate genus it is needful to be careful & circumspect, otherwise we would drift soon into confusion. It is hardly worth while to name the irideous plant, even if your transmitted material would render that possible, it being an immigrated plant.

I believe, that I gave you the few addition of species (of localities I took no note), which in this year I made to the extratropic fl. of your territory

Commerçonia Kempeana.

Hannafordia Bissillii

Achyranthes aspera L

all from Kempe (Finke-River

NT.

)

Pterocaulon Billardierii I named in the "Papuan plants"

B76.06.01, p. 43. Pterocaulon Billardieri? This line is written in the margin.

Zaleia

Zaleya?

decandra Burman a good genus. Lake Torrens,

SA.

Lattorp.

i.e. Lattorff.

Euc. Stuartiana FvM Mt Gambier,

SA.

J. E. Brown.

Ventilago viminalis Hook. (Kempe)

Melothria Muelleri yourself

Sebaea albidiflora yourself

Limosella Curdieana! N. of Fowlers Bay

SA.

Polymeria one species Kempe, not yet accurately compared

Corynotheca lateriflora on the Murray River beyond the "great Bend"

SA.

F.v.M. (1849). Finke River (Kempe)

Najas major, Allioni Kempe also N. of Fowlers Bay Mr Tietkens & Mrs Richards

Aristida leptopoda B. W. of the Darling R.

NSW.

(Bonney)

Frederic Bonney.

Setaria macrostachya (Kempe)

Panicum helopus. W. of Darling (Bonney)

P. spinescens " "

Eriochloa annulata " "

there all common grasses, passing into S.A. regions

Stipa Tuckeri, FvM Similar to S. elegantiss.

S. elegantissima.

but smaller Fragm xi

B81.08.03, p. 128.

near Darl. R.

Sporobolus Lindleyi Lake Torrens (Lattorp

i.e. Lattorff. See also M to R. Tate, 24 April 1881.

)

Eragrostis Brownii near the entrance of the Glenelg River F.v.M.

Danthonia bipartita Near the Darling River

Have you space still for some notes on Polynesian plants in your new volume,

i.e. of the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, of which Tate was Editor.

if that is not for it too foreign an element. Only to day, when writing on Leichhardts relatives claims on the journals to Mr Krichauff

M to F. Krichauff, 12 October 1881 (in this edition as 81-10-12b). On the same subject, see also M to E. Behm, 12 October 1881.

& about the desirability to send Tietkens out to the deathplace of L. likely in S. Australian territory I enquired after your health. It is gratifying, that you & your son are restored to it.

What about my quadrupedal namesake? Is he sustaining the fair fame of the name?

A racehorse owned by Thomas Elder named 'Baron von Mueller'; see M to R. Tate, 1 July 1881.

Your adress at the RS.

Tate (1882a), delivered as the Anniversary Address at the Annual Meeting of the Royal Society of South Australia, held on 4 October 1881.

will be as useful, as it is learned. I have worked up the anatomy of the Spondylostrobus-wood, but cannot get the print done, & so is it with the Euc. Atlas.

The text continues, in M's hand, as follows, but has been crossed through, probably by M:

Diprotodon (identified by Prof M'Coy with D. australis) has turned up on the W. side of the great Bight [the Great Australian Bight], where tusks, teeth & other bones have been disentombed. Thus it is shown, that this huge creature roamed quite across your territory! I bought the bones from the finder.

I will gladly look over the proofsheets of the addenda.

M sent the bones to which he here refers to Stuttgart; see M to F. von Krauss, 9 September 1881 (in this edition as 81-09-09a).

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller

Acacia

Achyranthes aspera

Aristida leptopoda

Commerçonia Kempeana

Corynotheca lateriflora

Danthonia bipartita

Eragrostis Brownii

Eriochloa annulata

Eucalyptus Stuartiana

Hannafordia Bissillii

Limosella Curdieana

Melothria Muelleri

Najas major

Panicum helopus

Panicum spinescens

Polymeria

Pterocaulon Billardierii

Quinetia Urvillei

Sebaea albidiflora

Setaria macrostachya

Spondylostrobus

Sporobolus Lindleyi

Stipa elegantiss

Stipa Tuckeri

Ventilago viminalis

Zaleia decandra