The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: On board of the "Assam" 3/1/78. ¶ ¶ Returning from West Australia, dear Mr Ramsay, I conduct here some correspondence on board of the mail-steamer, & have thus the pleasure of resuming my communicati...

Document information

Physical location:

ML MSS.562, Letters to E. P. Ramsay 1862-91, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. 78.01.03

Plant names

Licuala
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Livistona Ramsayi
Search for Livistona Ramsayi in
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- Australian Plant Name Index

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Edward Ramsay, 1878-01-03. 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/1870-9/1878/78-01-03-final.odt>, accessed May 15, 2026

On board of the "Assam" 3/1/78.

Returning from West Australia, dear Mr Ramsay, I conduct here some correspondence on board of the mail-steamer, & have thus the pleasure of resuming my communications with you also. Mr Bentham has sent me the proof sheets of vol. VII of the Flora up to Palms and the allied orders;

Palms are treated in Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, pp. 132-47.

he compbines

combines?

the with a new described simultaneously by Wendland from Dalrymple's Gap.

Qld.

But neither myself nor Wendland or Bentham had the flowers; hence the genus cannot be determined with safety. To me the genus of Blume seems only a subgenus of Livistona. I had given many years ago all my palms to the great von Martius, who asked for them, among them was Dallachy's specimen (in fruit only) from Dalrymple's Gap.

After the death of the great writer on palms,

Martius died in 1868.

the specimens went to Wendland, who begged for them. They were thus transferred from Munich to Hanover and only a few months ago they came back.

The description of the leaves of the does not correspond with your drawing,

See image in E. Ramsay to M, 16 July 1874, note 5, i.e.

because Bentham describes Dallachy's leaves as "divided to more than half the length into truncate lobes."

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7, p. 145.

Of course many palms have their very old leaves or leaflets torn into lobes, while they are in a normal state entire. Can you manage with your usual circumspectness to obtain at last flowers of this beautiful palm, flowers ♂ & ♀.

Do you know the title of any paper in the far North of Queensland, to which I could write, asking that miners &c might secure palms specimens for scientific description

Wishing you every happiness in the new year, I remain, dear Mr Ramsay,

your regardful

Ferd von Mueller