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Physical location:

Private hands. 81.11.20

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Mary Bate, 1881-11-20. 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/1880-9/1881/81-11-20-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

20/11/81.
Let me express my best thanks, dear Miss Bate, for your sending of a fruit-specimen of your
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. It enabled me to finish the description of this very interesting and characteristic species, and I have sent the manuscript at once to the Linnean Society of N.S.W., so that the description may be published yet in the volume for 1881.
1
M described
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bateae in B82.03.04, the paper being read at a meeting of the Linnean Society of NSW on 30 November 1881.
This gave me an opportunity also, to make publicly known the other plants, which you so far south traced. I hope this scientific acknowledgment will encourage you to continue your searches, as doubtless a whole host of rare plants and some new ones remain there yet to be discovered. From the photograms kindly sent by you, it must be a luxuriant vegetation there! As one of the photographic cards contains the picture of the young Lady Botanist and what I suppose to be her respected mother, I beg to send you my poor carte de visite also.
2
The photograph is in the library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
It is not likely, that the fruit on your
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will get much larger while ripening. Kindly pick some, when quite ripe, so that this handsome bush may be introduced into European greenhouses also. I should also feel obliged, if you would press & dry there about a dozen branchlets for me, so that I may send this new plant to several correspondents.
With regardful remembrance your
Ferd. von Mueller.
I like to have a leaf & berry of each of your figs.
Pray do not go to any great trouble about the Palm.