The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 25, WILTON PLACE, S.W. ¶ London ¶ 18 Feby 1866 ¶ My dear Sir ¶ ¶ The "Yorkshire" by which you sent the second box of Compositae is I see reported as arrived so that I presume in a few days we shall h...

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Physical location:

RB MSS M4, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 66.02.18

Plant names

Abrophyllum
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Actinotus
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Araliaceae
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Azorella
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Casearia
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Compositae
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Cuttsia
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Dichopetalum
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Didiscus
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Dimetopia
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Eucalyptus eximia
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Eucalyptus nitida
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Fragosa
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Hemiphues
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Holotome
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Leucolaena
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Loranthaceae
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Microsciadium
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Pentapeltis
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Platysace
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Pozoa
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Rubiaceae
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Schoenolaena
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Siebera
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Trachymene
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Umbelliferae
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Xanthosia
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Preferred Citation:

George Bentham to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1866-02-18. 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/1860-9/1866/66-02-18-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

25, WILTON PLACE, S.W.

London

18 Feby 1866

My dear Sir

The "Yorkshire" by which you sent the second box of is I see reported as arrived so that I presume in a few days we shall have the box at Kew. You mention again having paid the freight and I can only again beg you not to prepay the freight on the boxes for I can get the freight paid here by the Kew Establishment on the boxes that come from Melbourne but I cannot manage prepaying those that are sent from Kew. If you will let me know the amount you have paid for the freight of packages one way I will myself remit it you. There are great official difficulties in getting any such sums from the Kew Establishment.

I have got through the small families before and nearly finished — I wish our European genera of this order were as easy and distinct as the Australian ones prove to be if we absorb several of the monotypic ones in the great ones. Thus (Rudge non DC) includes and , Reichb. ( DC non Rudge) takes in includes and , includes and , (a name 11 years older than ) includes as shown by A. Gray & Weddell not only but and and thus extended the limits of each genus are at present remarkably definite. To me it appears that the constant characters are to be taken chiefly from the petals and the fruit — very little from the calyx.

You mention a — We have one from Queensland which was amongst your doubtful Celastrineae and which I am unable to distinguish from C. esculenta Roxb.

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 3, p. 309, does distinguish the species.

You will find it in the next box which I shall pack up very shortly.

I have at length finished the revision of Myrtaceae with Brown's splendid collection.

The collections of Robert Brown (1773-1858) were in the British Museum.

I hope now to get on rapidly with etc and to begin printing at the end of next month — but it will be some time before the volume is ready for I must take in at least the greater part of .

I have been examining the flowering specimens you sent of your . It appears to me to be the same as but in another sexual state. The has exserted stamens and a small gynaecium the short stamens and a more developed gynaecium — a semisexual dimorphism which occurs in several Saxifrageous arborescent genera. As to the fruit we described that of as succulent and indehiscent as it appears to be from Cunningham's specimens — but these are not quite ripe although the seeds appear to be fully formed, and it is very possible that it may ultimately harden and open in valves as you describe of the . Comparing the flowering specimens of and it is difficult to doubt their identity. It is to be hoped that further researches will fully clear this up.

Ever yours sincerely

George Bentham

Dr Ferd Mueller FRS

I have ascertained from Vienna

See G. Bentham to M, 18 January 1866 (in this edition as 66-01-18a).

that I was right in my suspicion that Schau was the Blue Mountain Bloodwood to which I had given Browns name of E. nitida — I must therefore beg you to alter E. nitida to E. eximia.