Ferdinand von Mueller

4/4/83.

I am beholden to you, dear Mr Dyer, for your kind sending of fruits of the Alexandrian Senna,

1

Cassia acutifolia; see B91.13.10, p. 97.

which on behalf of Kew I will send to such cultivators, as likely will take care of the seeds and subsequent plants. When Director of the Melb. bot. Garden I raised more than once the principal Sennas; but as at my time no large pumping works were allowed for water supply, for which after my time £6000 were spent, irrespective of the cost to work the pumps, I could do no good with the plant; the Melbourne night frosts during the short days, when the thermometer will go down occasionally to 24ºF., are also against these Cassias.

I tried therapeutically some of the Australian Cassias, especially those of the C. artimisioides

2

artemisoides?

group, but found them more drastic then ordinary Sennas.