Document information

Physical location:

RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, ff. 353-4. 68.11.21

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to George Bentham, 1868-11-21. 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/1860-9/1868/68-11-21-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

21/11/68
This day, dear Mr Bentham, I have despatched the Grevilleas, a noble collection of about 2000 specimens, representing the most charming of all the Australian Genera. Meissner & RBrown
1
R. Brown (1810a).
have left us little to describe; nor do I think that future researches in the interior will furnish many absolutely new species. You will make rapid progress with these plants after the great amount of labor, spent by me in their preliminary examination.
2
M's 'preliminary examination’ of the
Proteaceae

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was published in B68.12.01, pp 204-24, and continued in B68.12.02, pp 236-48.
Much reduction must take place in the species. Indument, division or entirety of leaves &c not giving always specific characters. Meissner places Grev. Huegelii & G rigidissima widely apart,
3
See Meisner (1856), pp. 348-92: G. rigidissima at p. 350, species 4, and G. Heugelii at p. 372, species 92.
altho they are but one species, and so it seems to be in other instances. Excellent as his work has generally been, it was never good as regards demarcation of species, and this is all the more remarkable when he had at Basel such fair opportunity of studying the variability of species in alpine regions. He evidently worked often also only with solitary specimens, and this must account for the great importance he attaches to characters, which larger collections now show to be trifling. I have often been able to complete the description of the fruits, and in one instance to show, that he matched wrong fruit specimens with the flowering ones. This refers to
Grevillea Hookeriana

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. In
Banksia

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the very striking characters afforded in many instances by the seeds & septa are previously quite negelected. That the dissepiment is formed by the testa I cannot see. The seed of a
Banksia

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is very similar to that of a
Hakea

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. The free wing in both genera is a continuation of the ordinary testa. I hope to send off before the end of the year the whole rest of the
Proteaceae

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& the
Thymeleae

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also, which then gives you the whole of the
Monochlamydeae

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, as already the following consignments have been made:
1 box
pr Essex,
18 May 1868,
Euphorbiaceae

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1 -
- Lincolnsire
16 June,
Urticeae

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&c
2 -
Anglesey
7 Jul. Cycad, Casuar, Laurin Polygon, Santal.
4
Cycadeae

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,
Casuarineae

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,
Laurineae

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,
Polygonaceae

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,
Santalaceae

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.
1 -
- True Britain
5
i.e. True Briton.
24 Oct miscell.
Proteaceae

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(small genera)
The Genera
Isopogon

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&
Petrophila

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will give me some trouble, as I have either to unite them or what will be of less advantage, to remodel them.
6
The letter ends, without valediction, with about 20% of the sheet left blank. M maintained both genera, B68.12.02, summarizing their cardinal characters on p. 246.