The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 26 January 1889. ¶ ¶ After the Medical Congress was over, and the Centennial Exhibition (with all their additional duties for me) also draws to a close, ¶ I wanted to describe ¶ your two ¶ new ¶ ...

Document information

Physical location:

GRG 19/391, State Records of South Australia, Adelaide. 89.01.26a

Plant names

Dendrobium
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Pogonia
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Maurice Holtze, 1889-01-26 [89.01.26a]. 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/89-01-26a>, accessed May 9, 2025

26/1/89

Nachdem der "Medical Congress" vorüber war, u. auch die Centennial Exhibition (mit allen ihren Extra Pflichten für mich) zum Schluss kommt, — wollte ich zu allererst Ihre beiden neuen Orchideen der letzten Sammlung beschreiben, lieber Herr Holtze, kann aber die Exemplare nicht finden. Solche sind inzwischen offenbar in den engen Räumlichkeiten verlegt, — u es mag lange dauern, bis sie gefunden werden. Unter diesen Umständen wäre es am Besten, wenn Sie mir von beiden Pflanzen Ihre zurückbehaltenen Pflanzen als Darlehe durch die Post senden registrirt. Ich werde Ihnen solche, nachdem die Beschreibung geliefert ist, zurücksenden. Eine war ein mit fast grasartigen Blättern; die andere war eine kleine , die während der Blüthezeit blattlos ist, nachher aber ein breites Blatt treibt.

Mit den besten Wünschen für Ihr Wohlergehen

Ferd. von Mueller.

Schreiben Sie gefällig auf die Zettel dieser beiden Pflanzen, was die frische Blumenfarbe war; auch etwas über die Standorte, da beide wohl selten sind.

26 January 1889.

After the Medical Congress was over, and the Centennial Exhibition (with all their additional duties for me) also draws to a close,

Intercolonial Medical Congress, Melbourne, 1889; Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888-9.

I wanted to describe your two new orchids from your last collection

M to M. Holtze, 20 October 1888 (in this edition as 88-10-20a) had requested further information about orchid specimens, but it is not known in what shipment they were received.

before all else, dear Mr Holtze, but I cannot find the specimens. They have evidently been misplaced in the meantime in this small space, and it may take a long time before they are found. Under these circumstances it would be best if you would send me on loan by registered mail the specimens of the two plants retained by you. I shall send them back to you after the description has been furnished. One was a with almost grass-like leaves, the other was a little , which is leafless during flowering time but produces one broad leaf afterwards.

Holtze evidently complied with M's request, at least for (see M to M. Holtze, 24 March 1889 (in this edition as 89-03-24a)), one of the two collections of which M determined to be a species previously described while he reserved judgement on the other (see M to M. Holtze, 7 April 1889). The latest dated specimen of an undoubted Holtze collection of a in MEL was collected in 1885. The mislaid specimen of the purported was probably what M described as Eulophia holtzei in B89.07.03, p. 55; see M to M. Holtze, 12 June 1889 and notes thereto.

With best wishes for your welfare

Ferd. von Mueller.

Be so good as to write on the labels of these two plants what the fresh flower colour was, also something about the habitat, as both are probably rare.

For the supposed , Holtze noted '862 grows in poor soil, not on rocks. flowers pinkish, tips yellow' (MEL 0108309, under Pachystoma pubescens, dated by M '1889' but recorded in AVH as '1888' (accessed 23 May 2022)).