The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ I will venture to solicit another kindness, namely to send us some seeds, of the "plane" ¶ packed in charcoal; I mean not the so-called British Plane, but the one which excited your admiration in ...

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Edward Wilson to William Hooker, 23 November 1859, RBG Kew, Directors' letters, vol. 42, English letters L-Z, 1862-5, letter no. 555. 59.10.00d

Plant names

Acorus Calamus
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Papyrus
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Edward Wilson, 1859-10 [59.10.00d]. 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//letters/1850-9/1859/59-10-00d-final.odt>, accessed June 5, 2026

Letter not found. Wilson quoted to Hooker extracts from a letter he (Wilson) had received from M. M's letter is dated as no later than October 1859 from the reference in Wilson's letter to having received it in the 'last mail' from Melbourne.

I will venture to solicit another kindness, namely to send us some seeds, of the "plane"

plane underlined in pencil , with an X marked above it.

packed in charcoal; I mean not the so-called British Plane, but the one which excited your admiration in France.

Wilson added parenthetically: 'It is the tree usually planted in Paris, Marseilles &c & I think the oriental Plane'.

If you could purchase us a case of trees of planes, which if [properly] packed, will now at the dormant season travel well in a closed box, I will at once refund most gratefully the outlay. My venerable friend, Sir W Hooker, has been solicited to send us the Nile ,

Pencilled X marked over papyrus.

which would greatly embellish our lagoon, but with the enormous work he has to attend to at his noble establishment, it is not surprising he should have forgotten his promises. Should you remind him?

Pencilled X marked after him.

Or purchase the root for it?

See M to W. Hooker, 16 February 1860.

They might come in a Wardian case, & it would be a good opportunity to put into it also, large roots of the (or sweet flag)

The parenthetical comment may have been Wilson's.

of the White & Yellow British water lilies &c

Pencilled XX marked in margin adjacent to 'Acorus ... yellow.'

which wd

The contraction of 'would' may have been Wilson's.

do well in our fish pond, & be at the same time a delightful reminiscence from Home ...

Between these quoted extracts, Wilson wrote 'In another letter he asks for large numbers of seeds of the Coniferae packed in charcoal.' (M’s letter not found.)

Pine seeds & acorns

Pencilled X above pine and above acorns.

of foreign

foreign underlined in pencil .

& now in Britain fructiferating species will travel well in boxes packed with charcoal

Hooker may have complained to Wilson about the demands M made on Kew because Wilson wrote to Hooker, 30 November 1859: 'I would try to be angry with our friend Mueller, for being so exacting, if I did not know that it arose from the unrivalled zeal & single mindedness of the man, & that these qualities were exercised for a very interesting country in whose welfare I also take much [concern]. Still I am sure that he would be hurt at feeling that he was unduly troubling to you' (RBG Kew, Directors' letters, vol. 42, English letters L—Z, 1862-5, letter no. 554).