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RBG Kew, Kew Correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1882-90, f. 109. 84.06.25aPreferred Citation:
Ferdinand von Mueller to Joseph Hooker, 1884-06-25 [84.06.25a]. 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/84-06-25a>, accessed October 18, 2024
1
MS annotation: 'D. superbiens, Fitzgerald, is quite distinct from D. superbiens of
Rchb f. [t]este N E. Brown.' MS annotation by Hooker: 'And | JDH.' See J. Hooker to
M, 15 August 1884 (in this edition as 84-08-15b).
Would you oblige, dear Sir Joseph, to cause to be ascertained, whether the plant figured
by Mr Fitzgerald in the last number of his "Australian orchids" as Dendrobium superbiens
could really be referred to that species as originally defined by G. Rchb. I have
not the needful publications here, and have not seen a Conservatory since I left the
Garden.
2
R. Fitzgerald (1875-94), vol
.
2, part 1 (issued January 1884).
The fragments of a Dendrobium, which I sent in my last letter may be D. triclost[….]a
of G. Rchb. I overlooked the diagnosis in the Linnaea of 1876,
also that a second Dendrobium of the sect. Pedilonum occurs in Australia, namely D.
ophioglossum. What a pity that we have no monography of Orchideae. Rchb. fil morally
owed it to those, who supported his orchidolog. researches so long and so disinterestedly,
to have given us a monography ere this. I find some difficulties to work with his
diagnoses.
3
Partly illegible. No
Dendrobium
beginning triclost… has been identified. Error for
D. trichostomum?
See note 4.
4
Reichenbach (1877), p. 40 contains his diagnosis of
D. trichostomum, and also mentions the occurrence
of D. ophioglossum
in Cape York, Qld. The part of
Linnaea
containing the article was issued in December 1876 (TL2). Oliver (1877), p. 30, read 15 April 1875 and the part issued 11 October 1875 (Gage & Stearn (1988), p. 217), also contains the diagnosis, taken from Reichenbach's MS.
I was much pleased with the beautiful figure of Labichea lanceolata; and your kind
remarks concerning my reintroducing it pleased me also very much.
5
J.
Hooker
(1865-1904),
vol. 110, plate 6751 (issued 1 April 1884). M procured the seeds of this plant from Champion Bay, WA. in 1880.
Herewith a leaf and a few flowers of an only specimen of
Latouria
spectabilis. The pollen masses are in
two pairs
, and the lateral lobes of the labellum only cohere. I therefore transfer the plant
to Dendrobium, and this necessity was almost foreseen by Mr Bentham.
Regardfully your
Ferd. von Mueller.
I see, that Miquel (Fl. Ind. Bat. III, 645)
reduces already Latouria to Dendrobium, this is
not
mentioned in the "
genera
"
6
Miquel (1855-9), vol. 3, p. 645.
7
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83).
Dendrobium ophioglossum
Dendrobium sect. Pedilonum
Dendrobium superbiens
Dendrobium trichostomum
Labichea lanceolata
Latouria spectabilis