Ferdinand von Mueller

21/8/82.

Mein Buchhändler in London ist beauftragt, edler Freund, Ihnen 1 Ex. des letzten Heftes von Sir Joseph Hooker's icones zu senden, in welchem die unserm verewigten Freunde, Professor Petermann, gewidmete seltne Schlingpflanze abgebildet ist. Ich denke mir, dass Sie diese Blume kennen möchten, welche jetzt auch in der Pflanzen Wissenschaft den Namen des grössten deutschen Geographen der Neuzeit wach halten wird. Nach etwas unvollständigen Exemplaren, welche ein baierscher Arzt Herr Dr. Beckler, der noch jetzt in seinem Vaterlande practisirt, im Jahre 1860 sammelte, beschrieb ich schon damals dies merkwürdige Gewächs im 2ten Bande meiner fragm. phytogr. Austral.

21/8/82.

My book dealer in London is instructed, noble Friend, to send you one copy of the latest part of Sir Joseph Hooker's Icones , in which the rare creeping plant dedicated to our immortal friend, Professor Petermann, is figured.

1

Petermannia cirrosa, in J. Hooker (1867-89), vol. 14, p. 71, pl. 1391, published June 1882.

I imagine that you would like to know this flower, which now will also keep alive in the science of plants the name of the greatest German geographer of recent times. I described this remarkable plant in the second volume of my Fragmenta phytographiae australiae

2

B60.08.01, p. 93. Collected on Cloud's Creek, a tributary of the Clarence River, NSW. Bentham, in his text on p. 71 of Icones plantarum, commented that

the natural order to which the plant should be referred remains very doubtful. The habit is rather that of Smilaceae, with the inferior ovary of Dioscoreace, and the unilocular ovary with parietal placentation is anomalous in both orders.

at the time from somewhat incomplete specimens that a Bavarian physician Dr Beckler, who now practises in his homeland, collected in 1860.