Colac
April 28th /80
Dear Baron
When my Father
was last in Melbourne you wished him to send you what information we could get respecting
this tall Fern of the ranges called
. I was at Apollo Bay a short time since & only for very wet weather would most likely
have found out a good bit about it. In the first place my Father reckons there are
two distinct kinds or rather two kinds quite different from each other we have had
them in Pots in the Nursery, one grows rather strong & coarse with bright green Foliage
while the other is slim & of a more delicate texture & of a Bronish
hue I have seen Fern trees in Town from N Zealand under the Name of
& quite a different one to any of these in these Ranges they are very much stronger
& Robust in habit than those in the Ranges
I send you a piece of each of the two kinds No 1 I took from a tree I suppose 20 feet
in height & 8 inches in Diamiter I cut down one once 35 ft High & 1 ft in diamiter
this is what we call the thin one. No 2
is from 1 Tree about 8 or 9 ft high 8 or 9 inches in Diamiter length of
fronds 14 ft
6 inch I have seen them off a tree 9 ft high 17 ft 6 inches the specimen is I am
afraid useless to you as the seed vessels were fallen off every frond this is the
strong grower & only to be found occasionally they both grow in company with one another
there are plenty of them that I could not say if they were the thick or thin ones
they seem so mixed up the conclusion I come to is that this tall Fern is some other
than the medullaris (with Fructifications similar so that you cannot tell what it
realy is without seeing the Tree in a living state[)]
& again that these few strong growers are merely a strong growing variety. I have
seen some Trees sent from New zealand called by some
very much like the one in our Ranges. I enclose a piece of cutting grass of the Forest
grows similar to the Pampass Grass it is a realy petty
thing when in full seed bearing spikes fully 3 ft long with the bright scarlet seeds
would you kindly send name
My Mother
& Father & all are keeping in good health I have had a bad attack of Bronchitis &
have had to stay home this last fortnight am better now
yours Respectfully
George H Marriner
Ps I made a mistake in the letter it is No 1 or the Thin one that the seed vessels
ar gone from
G H M
