The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 18/3/78. ¶ ¶ I thank you, dear Mr Buchanan, ¶ for sending me the small-leaved Veronica which in many respects is very interesting. Your Dichelachnes I will carefully examine, when I get my extensive...

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Physical location:

A644, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney. 78.03.18

Plant names

Agrostis
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Cabomba
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Dichelachne crinita
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Dichelachne sciurea
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Forstera
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Gramineae
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Hydropeltis
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Kentia
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Monocotyledoneae
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Phyllachne
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Stipa micrantha
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Stylidium subulatum
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Zostera
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to John Buchanan, 1878-03-18. 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/1870-9/1878/78-03-18-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

18/3/78.

I thank you, dear Mr Buchanan,

John Buchanan (1819-1898).

for sending me the small-leaved Veronica which in many respects is very interesting. Your Dichelachnes I will carefully examine, when I get my extensive series of specimens of that genus accessible again, they having been lent with all my other for Mr Bentham's use in the elaboration of the 7th vol of the fl. Austral.

Bentham (1863-78), vol. 7.

The position of the arista, dorsal or nearly terminal, mainly distinguishes the two species. you quite correctly recognized the true , but my impression is that it cannot be separated from Cavanilles , as mentioned in my fragm. VIII, 105.

B73.11.03.

Indeed I regard Dichelachne only as a section of Stipa, though Bentham places it next to . Steudel described several Dichelachnes, the definition of which I will compare with your supposed form of D. crinita, as soon as I can get at my specimens again.

I think, that I mentioned to you before the fact, that I find to be a true or .

No earlier letter to Buchanan with this information has been found, but he had mentioned it to another NZ correspondent, M to F. Hutton, 13 May 1877. See B78.06.01.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

The numbers of stamens in Dichelachne should be carefully observed. Can you kindly procure for me specimens of your two s with ripe fruits? I imagine, that not all your oceanic are as yet fully known.

There is also a fresh water plant, allied to & , in your islands, of which I have only one imperfect specimen, which as yet prevents me to identify it with any of the American species. Did you never see it? How far south grows your Palm

N.Z seeds more always useful to me for foreign interchanges.