The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 7/1/82. ¶ ¶ Quite a while ago, dear Mr Holtze, you sent me, as No. 73, a very rare plant together with other specimens. It hasn't been found again since Capt Flinders was in the Gulf of Carpentaria i...

Document information

Physical location:

GRG 19/391, Public Library Museum and Art Gallery, State Records of South Australia, Adelaide. 82.01.07

Plant names

Pleurocarpaea denticulata
Search for Pleurocarpaea denticulata in
- This website
- Australian Plant Name Index

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Maurice Holtze, 1882-01-07. 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/82-01-07>, accessed September 11, 2025

7/1/82.

Vor längerer Zeit, leiber Herr Holtze, sandten Sie mir mit andern Pflanzen unter N. 73 ein sehr seltnes Gewächs, welches seit Capt Flinders' 1802 im Golf von Carpentaria war, nicht wieder gefunden wurde, — und so nur aus R Brown's Sammlung bekannt war. Ich hatte die Pflanze nie gesehen, bis Sie mir selbige sandten. Es ist . Den neuen Standort, von Ihnen dargelegt, werde ich jetzt veröffentlichen.

Wären reife Same und mehr getrocknete Exemplare zu bekommen? Unter welchen Verhältnissen kommt das Gewächs da vor. Ist es krautig oder Strauch-artig? Was ist die Höhe.

Mit bestem Glückwunsch zum neuen Jahre der Ihre

Ferd. von Mueller.

Kann ich Ihnen etwas senden?

Gewiss fahren Sie fort zu sammeln, es muss dort noch manches zu entdecken sein.

7/1/82.

Quite a while ago, dear Mr Holtze, you sent me, as No. 73, a very rare plant together with other specimens. It hasn't been found again since Capt Flinders was in the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1802 and thus it was only known from Mr Brown's collection. I had never seen the plant until you sent it to me. Its name is . I am going to publish the new location, as disclosed by you.

See also M. Holtze to M, 21 May 1882. No record of M's publishing the location has been found; Holtze's specimen, MEL 0611478, is recorded in AVH (accessed 15 November 2020) as from 'Port Darwin'. Bentham had erected Pleurocarpaea in Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, pp. 460-1, on the basis of a single species, P. denticulata, collected by R. Brown on islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria but never formally described by him.

Would it be possible to obtain ripe seeds and more dried specimens? Under which circumstances does the plant grow there? Is it herb-like or shrub-like? What is its height?

With best wishes for the new year yours

Ferd. von Mueller

Can I send you something?

Undoubtedly you will continue collecting, surely there still must be something to be discovered.