The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 31/8/90. ¶ ¶ Your No. 1056 is a new ¶ Habenaria ¶ , dear Mr Holtze, which I have named in your honour. ¶ Is the plant rare? You have sent me only one specimen. ¶ ¶ I'm pleased that you are giving ...

Document information

Physical location:

GRG 19/391, State Records of South Australia, Adelaide. 90.08.31

Plant names

Euchlaena
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Geodorum
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Habenaria arnhemica
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Habenaria elongata
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Habenaria graminea
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Lucuma sericea
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Lyonsia
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Myrisacea
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Pogonia
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Utricularia leptoplectra
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Maurice Holtze, 1890-08-31. 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/90-08-31>, accessed May 9, 2025

31/8/90.

Ihre Nummer 1056 ist eine neue Habenaria, geehrter Herr Holtze, welche ich Ihnen zu Ehren genannt habe. Ist die Pflanze selten? Sie haben nur ein Exemplar gesandt.

Ich freue mich, dass Sie u andere Nutzpflanzen dem Agricultur-Bureau zuwenden. Es wäre wohl gerecht meiner Anstalt, wenn Sie bei Abgabe der Samen solcher Pflanzen, welche durch mich bei Ihnen eingeführt wurden, darauf aufmerksam machen, dass mir etwas Anerkennung gebührt; solche wird mir fast immer in Adelaide verweigert. Wäre ich ein Privat-Mann, so würde ich dies gern übersehen; aber ich habe ja die Interessen einer öffentlichen Anstalt zu überwachen. Da Sie immer so freundlich sind, habe ich Sie auf diese Angelegenheit aufmerksam gemacht, da Sie ja nicht wissen können, was ich sagte über Adelaide.

Obwohl N.1058 keine wohl erhaltene Blumen hat, bin ich doch darüber gewiss geworden, dass es (R Br) ist. — N.169 (oder vielleicht 691) ist , Lindley, so auch N.1059. Ferner ist 1057 wohl auch nur eine Varietat von H. graminea, früher von mir als H. Arnhemica vertheilt, obwohl die Blumenfarbe von 1059 verschieden ist. Ich empfehle beide Ihrer weiteren Beobachtungen. Es mag bei

The following text is on a separate undated fragment but evidently belongs to this letter, as it continues the sentence broken off in the dated section.

Ihnen auch noch mehr aus dieser Gattung vorkommen.

651 habe ich nur in einem Ex. Das Labellum hat breitere Zipfel als in der ächten H. graminea, auch ist der Sporn dicker. Sie sagen nichts über die Blüthen Farbe. Vielleicht können Sie weitere Auskunft über diese Pflanze geben.

Es freuet mich, dass Sie mehr Material von Utricularia abgesandt haben, auch Anderes von besonderem Werthe. Legen Sie nur recht viele Ex. von U. Singeri u U. leptoplectra auf. Solche u andere Seltenheiten sind für Vertausch immer von hohem Werth. Durch die allgemeine Störung im Dampfschiffs Verkehr, mag es lange dauern bis Ihre neue Sendung pr Tannadice ankommt.

Sie ehrend

der Ihre

Ferd. von Mueller.

1063 ist wahrscheinlich ein , aber die Blüthen sind nicht gut entwickelt an dem einzigen Exemplar.

Ich hätte auch gern etwas mehr Material von den -Arten.

1072. , J. Hooker.

Hoffentlich werden Sie oder Ihr Sohn die Sammeltour zu Mr O'Reilley am Staaten River machen können, da Sie dadurch auch Ihren Garten sehr bereichern würden.

Die klimmende 604 kann aus Mangel an Blüthen nicht beschrieben werden. Sie ist wahrscheinlich neu und als in N.W vorkommend sehr interessant So ist es auch mit der 629.

31/8/90.

Your No. 1056 is a new Habenaria, dear Mr Holtze, which I have named in your honour.

Habenaria holtzei, described in B91.05.07, p.128.

Is the plant rare? You have sent me only one specimen.

I'm pleased that you are giving and other useful plants to the Bureau of Agriculture. It would, however, be just to my institute, if you were to point out on presenting the seeds of such plants, which were introduced to you by me, that some acknowledgement, which I am nearly always denied in Adelaide, is due to me.

M is presumably referring to the friction that existed between him and Richard Schomburgk.

Were I an independent person I should happily overlook this, but I have to guard the interests of a public institute. As you are always so kind, I have drawn your attention to this matter, since you cannot be aware of what I said about Adelaide.

Although No. 1058 has no well-preserved flowers, I have become convinced that it is R.Br. — No. 169 (or perhaps 691) is Lindley, also No 1059. Furthermore 1057 is probably also only a variety of H. graminea, formerly distributed by me as H. arnhemica,

See Bentham (1863-78), vol. 6, p. 395.

although the flower colour differs from 1059. I commend both to you for your further observations. More species of this genus may occur in your area.

I have only one specimen of 651. The labellum has broader tips than in the true H. graminea and the spur is thicker, too. You do not mention anything about the flower colour. Perhaps you could give further information about this plant.

I'm pleased that you have sent off more material of Utricularia, also of others of particular worth. Do press quite a lot of specimens of U. singeri

Described as Utricularia singeriana in B91.05.07, pp. 76-7.

and U. leptoplectra, won't you. These and other rarities are always of great value for exchange. Through the general disruption in steamship traffic it may take a long time before your new consignment per Tannadice arrives.

Between August and October 1890, a maritime strike — the first major clash between employers and the trade union movement in Australia — caused widespread industrial chaos, major demonstrations and rioting. Despite this, Holtze's consignment per Tannadice, which left Darwin on 27 August (Northern Territory times and gazette, 29 August 1890, p. 2), reached M at the beginning of October (see M to M. Holtze, 2 October 1890).

Respectfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

1063 is probably a , but the flowers are not properly developed on the single specimen.

I would also like to have some more material of the species.

1072. J. Hooker.

I hope you or your son will be able to make the collecting trip to Mr O'Reilley's at the Staaten River,

Qld. See M to M. Holtze, 24 August 1890.

as you would also greatly enrich your garden through it.

The climbing No. 604 cannot be described because of the lack of flowers. It is probably new and, coming from the N.W, very interesting. The same applies to the No. 629

No 604 was attributed to e in an earlier response by M to Holtze, but M required flowers for identification (M to M. Holtze, 1886 (in this edition as 86-00-00e)). The MEL specimens carrying that collection number, MEL 1612593 and MEL 1612843, are dated 1886, but are filed as Embelia curvinervia which is not a member of that family. However, the habit note with the specimen BRI_AQ041850, collected in 1946, does describe it as scrambling over shrubs, suggesting that the absence of flowers was a serious obstacle to placing it in the correct family. The specimens at MEL are attributed jointly to Holtze and J. E. Tenison Woods but are almost certainly specimens Holtze gave to Tenison Woods during his visit to the NT in 1886.

Similarly, M required flowers to describe 629 when he reported on it in M to M. Holtze, 1887 (in this edition as 87-00-00h).