Document information

Physical location:

RBG Kew, Kew correspondence, Australia, Mueller, 1858-70, ff. 421-2. 70.02.27a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Joseph Hooker, 1870-02-27 [70.02.27a]. 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/70-02-27a>, accessed September 11, 2025

Melb. bot.Garden
27/2/70
Let me in first instance, dear Dr Hooker, offer my best gratulation to your long & well deserved honor of the Companionship of the Bath.
1
Hooker was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 6 November 1869 (London Gazette, 9 November 1869, p. 5975). See Lucas (2013a) for a discusion of Hooker's attitude to this and other honours.
May you long live to enjoy this mark of approbation from the throne.
It will be impossible to send a living
Loranthus

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or viscum, as the sap of a comparatively small movable plant would surely get exhausted by the parasite on the 3 months voyage and both would die. But would it be wise to grow the
Loranthus

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? It is sure to kill anything it is put on.
2
See J. Hooker to M, 10 December 1869 (in this edition as 69-12-10a).
I always congratulate the Tasmanians on the absense of Misletoes in their island. You might easily raise them from seed. But why not rather grow the Terrestrial
Nuytsia

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&
Atkinsonia

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? Both can be raised readily from seed! in an ordinary pot ful earth; nor does the seed soon lose its vitality.
I am grateful for the Acorns & other seeds you again so attentively sent
If my
Mesembryanthemum tegens

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is the real M. debile,
3
See J. Hooker to M, 31 December 1869 (in this edition as 69-12-31b).
then Sonders quotation of the latter under M. reptans is wrong, as it is yellow flowered[.]
4
M described the flowers of his new M. tegens as 'pallidius roseis' (pale pink) in B66.10.01, p. 157, but in Harvey & Sonder (1859-65), vol. 2, p. 407, M. reptens, under which M. debile is synonomized, is said to have yellow flowers.
I hope poor Dr Ward will not turn himself in his coffin, if he hears your new appellation of his cases, however applicable it is.
5
See J. Hooker to M, 8 December 1869, in which the topics discussed in the remainder of the letter also appear.
Mr O'Shanesy at Rockhampton has a small Nursery of plants.
I have several thousand
Cinchona

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s growing under some slight brush shelter but intend to take them to the Ranges, whenever we are settled calmly down in politics to commence forest culture. In our warm fern-tree vallies they ought to do quite well. They will even stand a slight frost, provided the frost is not combined with cutting winds.
It is strange that
Eucalyptus polyanthemus

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should bear the English winter, since it is a species from the warmer parts of Australia.
Always your regardful
Ferd. von Mueller