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RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, ff. 46-7. 60.12.14

Plant names

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Ferdinand von Mueller to William Hooker, 1860-12-14. 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/1860-9/1860/60-12-14-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

Melbourne bot. & zool. Garden
14 Dec 60
Dear Sir William.
At the eve of my departure for the S.W. parts of the Australian alps (hitherto untrotten) I devote a few spare moments for adressing you, in order that my regular correspondence to Kew may not be interrupted.
I have a rough journey before me and trust not only to succeed to mount the colossal hights, but also to add material to my flora and to return without accidents.
I trust Dr Hooker returned safely from his botanical cruisade
1
Joseph Hooker had visited Palestine on leave. See J. Hooker to M, 20 October 1860.
Perhaps it interest your excellent son to hear my opinion that without doubt R. Brown found the
Goodenia barbata

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on the Northern coast of Tasmania, as the plant is common about Twofold Bay, provided I rightly assume, that G. cistifolia A.C. is identical with it. R.Br. saw it only in a dried state and placed it in the yellow-flowered division of the genus; hence arose the confusion. Vriese
2
Vriese (1854) p. 145-6.
however describes it as blue-flowered, yet does not hesitate to describe for [1] [part] also G. cistifolia as distinct. D.C. describes it also twice. R Br. well noticed the two-seeded seedvessel & the turgidity of the seeds, but no one noticed the remarkable strophiole, which is produced in lieu of the wing. The fruit is exactly that of G. strophiolata.
I trust Mr Bentham will find a fertile field of novel observations in Dr Kirks
3
John Kirk. In East Africa 1858-63 on David Livingston's expedition to explore Zambesi. Kirk's collections published in part in e.g. Bentham (1862b).
Zamb[e]si plants & furnish us with so excellent [memoirs] for a Zamb[e]si flora as for a Niger flora.
4
J. Hooker & Bentham (1849).
It seems the fate destines it, that I shall not meet the clever & energetic Dr Seemann personally, as he probably will pass Melbourne whilst I am engaged in the ranges.
5
See notes M to W. Hooker, 20 April 1860 (in this edition as 60-04-20a).
Is there any possiblity of learning what [RBrowns]
Huegelia

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6
Brown's
Huegelia

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(illegal as the name was occupied) was doubtfully placed in synomony of Verticordia by M, B89.12.03, p. 88.
is? is it not rather Myrtaceous than rutaceous? Might not Mr Bennett
7
J. J. Bennett.
be able to throw some light on the plant?
I have erred in making a new genus (
Walcottia

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) of a species of your genus Lachnostachys (L. Walcottii Fragm. phytogr. Austr. append.)
8
In B61.02.02, p. 140, M redescribed as Lachnostachys walcottii the plant upon which he had originally erected
Walcottia

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(W. eriobotrya) in B59.13.04, p. 241.
I have offered in the essay on the Burdekin plants a supplement to the Indian-Australian plants enumerated by Dr Hooker.
9
B60.13.12. Joseph Hooker's list had been sent to M as proof sheets (J. Hooker to M, 26 December 1859), and was published in the 'Introductory Essay' to J. Hooker (1860), pp. xlii-xlix, also published separately as J. Hooker (1859a). M did not separately list Indo-Australian species collected by Fitzalan but mentioned the commonality in his treatment of relevant species, e.g. Indigofera pratensis, p. 10.
We will soon have to add others to the list.
Hibiscus vitifolius

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is one of them, already noted by Cunningham.
Does
Abelmoschus moschatus

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ever occur with purple flowers?
I am delighted to see Prof Harvey proceed so happily with his magnificent phycologia Australis.
10
Harvey (1858-63); vol. 3 was published in 1860.
Pray give him & Dr Hooker my kind regards & believe me to be your very grateful & deeply devoted
Ferd. Mueller.
I enclose a curious small state of
Goodenia amplexans

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collected on the Wimmera. It occurs also on the Nile River, Tasmania.