The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Melbourne, November 20th, 1881. ¶ Sir,— ¶ The herb submitted to me is a small flowered variety of the British Fumitory, (Fumaria Offirinales L) ¶ Printer's error for Fumaria officinalis? ¶ . It is kn...

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81.11.20a

Plant names

Fumaria Offirinale
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Lobelia Pratioides
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Solanum Nigrum
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Malcolm M'Laren, 1881-11-20 [81.11.20a]. 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/1880-9/1881/81-11-20a-final.odt>, accessed June 5, 2026

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'A day at Wooloomanata', Geelong advertiser, 24 December 1881, p. 1 S. M's letter is introduced by:

Observing a weed, hitherto a stranger, flourishing freely here and there in any rich spots, Mr M'Laren, [the manager of the property] suspecting that it might possibly be the offender [that caused the death of four rams], forwarded, through Mr Riley, Inspector of Stock, a sample to Baron Mueller, for examination and opinion. I herewith append the Baron's reply in extenso :’

Melbourne, November 20th, 1881.

Sir,—

The herb submitted to me is a small flowered variety of the British Fumitory, ( s L)

Printer's error for Fumaria officinalis?

. It is known to possess a volatile acridity, and it is quite possible that stock feeding on much of this herb would suffer deleterious effects, although real poison cases arising from Fumaria have never come to my knowledge. Indeed, it seems to me more likely that it was the annual nightshade ( ) or the creeping Lobelia (L Pratioides)—both frequent on many pastures, and caused the mischief on the You Yangs common some years past.

See, for example, M to J. Casey, 23 March 1873 (in this edition as 73-03-23c).

At all events the growth of the Fumitory should be suppressed, as the plant serves no pastoral purposes. This can be done by cutting or pulling up the plant before its seeds ripen, the stems not springing again from the root, which is an annual. Places where the Fumaria abounds might be ploughed, and then sown with lucerne, rye grass, or white clover, and other perennial pasture plants, by which means the Fumitory would become suffocated.

I am, etc.,

FRED.

Printer's error for FERD?

VON MUELLER