Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M108a, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 83.08.23a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Jacob Agardh to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1883-08-23 [83.08.23a]. 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/83-08-23a>, accessed September 10, 2025

Lund, Schweden 23 Aug 1883.
Hochgeehrter Herr Baron!
Heute habe Ich Ihnen zu melden dass ich mit meine Arbeit für Bestimmung und Ordnen der mir zu gesandten Australischen Algen endlich fertig bin. Das ziemlich schwere paket für Sie ist seit einige Tagen schon versendet, um mit dem Dampfschiff, welches am 5-6 Sept von Hamburg abgeht, überführt zu werden. Es enthällt eine möglichst vollständige Samlung der mir vorliegenden Arten von den verschiedenen Localitäten, und alle mit Nahmen, so fern es mir möglich war sie zu bestimmen; vorsetzlich sind aber ausgeschlossen:
1. Solche fragmente (besonders von Sargassen Cystophoren etc.) die gar zu unvollständig waren um bestimmt zu werden, so wie solche Exemplare die durch das vorherige prepariren nicht wieder so viel aufgeweicht werden, dass Ihre Structur erkannt werden kann.
2. Alle Exemplare von Bryozoen, Spongien, Eier, die häufig als Algen mitgenommen werden, und in einige Samlungen sogar das haupt material ausmachten (in der Samlung von der Richmond River durch Mrs Hodkinson)
3. Die letzte Samlung der von Prof. Wilson gesammelten, welche Ich mit Ihrer Erlaubnis in meine eigene Samlung eingeschaltet habe; und wovon Ich Ihnen letztens eine vollständige Nahmen-Verzeichniss gesandt habe.
4. Ferner habe ich von besonderen Localitäten und einige Frucht-exemplare (wo Solche vorrätig waren) oder Bruchstucke von Solchen herausgenommen, wenn Solche in meine eigene Samlung fehlten und für fernere Untersuchung von Wichtigkeit seyn mögten.
Nach Ihre Anweisung habe ich die Doubletten als Algae Muellerianae unter den Herren Algologen folgendermassen vertheilt:
Doctor Hooker at Kew,
Professor Farlow at Cambridge Mass.,
Mons. E. Bornet à Paris,
Mrs Merrifield at Stapleford near Cambridge,
(3 Samlungen um durch Sie vertheilt zu werden an solche Algologen in England die sich für Austr. Algen interessiren)
Mr Holmes in London,
Prof. Dickie at Aberdeen,
Dr Grunow at Leobusberg bei Wien,
Dr Hauck in Trieste,
(Ich habe 4 Samlungen noch zurück, die aber wenigere Arten enthalten).
Wenn ich die ganze mir vorliegende Samlung mit der Verzeichnis von Sonder in Suppl. Fragment. Phytogr. Austr. vergleiche, so finde ich sehr wenige Formen und Localitäten die nicht schon von Sonder angegeben sind. Als neue Arten habe ich doch folgende erkennen geglaubt:
Sargassum trichophyllum

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" leptopodum
Thamnocarpus glomuliferus

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.
Thamnoclonium decipiens
Kallymenia? nitophylloides.
Chylocladia Ramsayana

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.
Fauchea nitophylloides

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.
Melanthalia polydactylis

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(an cum M. flabellata Sond. identica?)
Gracilaria Harveyana

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.
Zanardinia chondrifolia

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.
Chondriopsis corallorhiza

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" foliifera
Rhodomela erinacea

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Rytiphlaea compressa

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" Merrifieldii
Caulerpa Hodkinsonia

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.
Ausserdem habe ich in der letzten von Prof. Wilson gesandte Samlung folgende neue Arten schon angegeben:
no
3
Dilophus tener

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24.
Horea Wilsoni

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28.
forsan Genus novum, at sine fructu aeque definiendum.
34.
Dilophus foliosus

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.
40
Caulerpa curvifolia

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43
Udotea infundibuliformis

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74.
Stenogramma leptophyllum

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75.
Cryptonemia Wilsoni

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84.
Delesseria

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sp. nov?
90
at vix sine fructu determinanda.
163
Dasya

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sp. nova?
182
Ptilonia subulata

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184
Dilophus Wilsoni

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185
Myriodesma an sp. nov.? (M. pinnatifidum)
Ausserdem wird wahrscheinlich die als
Thamnocarpus glomuliferus

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bezeichnete neue Art eine neue Gattung ausmachen, wenn man dieselbe in Frucht exemplare beobachten könnte.
Von früher beschriebene formen sind einige als neue Gattungen zu bezeichnen:
Carpomitra inermis

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ist mir
Perithalia inermis

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(mit Fruchte die
Bellotia

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und
Encyothalia

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viel näher kommen)
Hypnea ramentacea

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J. Ag. antea ist mir
Merrifieldia ramentacea

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, durch beiderlei Fructe von Hypnea verschieden, und unter den Rhodymeniaceen, nahe an Rhodophyllis Hypneoides, einzuschalten.
Übrigens haben Frucht-exemplare von
Melanoseris

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,
Sarcocladia

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,
Bindera

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,
Gattya

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etc. verschiedene neue Ansichten über Structurverhältnisse und systematische Gruppirung veranlasst, die Ich aber hier nicht näher erörtern darf.
Einige wenige Exemplare (von Conferven) sind noch nicht von mir untersucht.
Gelegentlich werde Ich die neue Arten und Beobachtungen redigieren suchen, aber wie bald ich damit fertig werde, darüber darf ich heute nichts aussprechen.
Es wird mir sehr lieb seyn zu erfahren dass das paket mit Algen glücklich in Ihre Hände sey.
Mit Hochachtung zeichnet
J G Agardh
Lund, Sweden, 23 August 1883.
Highly esteemed Baron!
Today I have to report to you that at last I am finished with my work for the determination and arrangement of the Australian algae sent to me. The fairly heavy packet for you was sent some days ago so as to be transported by the steamer departing from Hamburg on 5-6 September. It contains a collection as complete as possible of the species submitted to me from the various localities and all with names as far as it was possible for me to determine them; but intentionally excluded are:
1. Such fragments (particularly of Sargassae,
Cystophora

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e etc) that were really too incomplete to be determined, as well as such specimens that cannot again be softened so much through the previous preparation that their structure can be recognised.
2. All specimens of bryozoas, sponges, eggs, that commonly are taken together with algae and in some collections even make up the principal material (in the collection from the Richmond River by Mrs Hodkinson
1
Mary Hodgkinson?
)
3. The last collection collected by Professor Wilson, that I have included in my own collection with your permission and of which I have sent you a complete name list recently.
2
For this list of determinations of J. B. Wilson's algae collections, see J. Agardh to M, 4 August 1883. The collection contained several new species.
4. Further I have taken out from particular localities and some specimens of fruit (where they were available) or fragments of such, if they were lacking in my own collection and may be of importance for further research.
According to your instruction I have distributed the duplicates as Algae Muellerianae among the algologists as follows:
Doctor Hooker at Kew,
Professor Farlow at Cambridge Mass.,
Mons. E. Bornet à Paris,
Mrs Merrifield at Stapleford near Cambridge,
(3 Collections to be distributed by you to such algologists in England who are interested in Australian algae)
Mr Holmes in London,
Prof. Dickie at Aberdeen,
Dr Grunow at Leobusberg near Vienna,
Dr Hauck in Trieste,
(I have still retained 4 collections, but they contain fewer species).
When I compare the whole collection submitted to me with the list of Sonder in Supplementum Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae,
3
B80.11.01, B80.11.01, pp. 105-7.
I find very few forms and localities that are not already reported by Sonder. As new species I do believe recognising the following:
4
Many of the species, when described by Agardh, were given slightly different epithets; the suggestions given in the relevant notes below are based on data from AlgaeBase concerning the date of publication and, where available, collecting site and collector.
Sargassum trichophyllum

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" leptopodum
Thamnocarpus glomuliferus

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.
5
T. glomulifer ?
Thamnoclonium decipiens
Kallymenia? nitophylloides.
Chylocladia Ramsayana

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.
Fauchea nitophylloides

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.
Melanthalia polydactylis

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(or to be identified with M. flabellata Sond.?)
Gracilaria Harveyana

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.
Zanardinia chondrifolia

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.
6
Species name not found (AlgaeBase, accessed 27 March 2021).
Chondriopsis corallorhiza

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" foliifera
Rhodomela erinacea

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Rytiphlaea compressa

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"Merrifieldii
Caulerpa Hodkinsonia

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.
7
C. hodgkinsoniae; published in Agardh (1873-90), part 7, p. 129 (1887), as C. hodkinsoniae.
In addition I have already reported the following new species in the last collection sent by Professor Wilson:
8
See J. Agardh to M, 4 August 1883 (and relevant footnotes), list of determinations of algae collected by J. B. Wilson [during the summer of 1882/83], arrived at Lund 9 July 1883, where
Dilophus tener

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sp. nov. is, however, listed as No 4.
no
3
Dilophus tener

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24.
Horea Wilsoni

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28.
perhaps a new genus but without accurately defining fruit.
34.
Dilophus foliosus

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.
40
Caulerpa curvifolia

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43
Udotea infundibuliformis

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74.
Stenogramma leptophyllum

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75.
Cryptonemia Wilsoni

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84.
Delesseria

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newspecies?
90
but scarcely to be determined without fruit.
163.
Dasya

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new species?
182
Ptilonia subulata

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184.
Dilophus Wilsoni

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185
Myriodesma towards a new species.? (M. pinnatifidum)
9
No published use of this name has been found (AlgaeBase, accessed 14 July 2021).
In addition probably the new species indicated as
Thamnocarpus glomuliferus

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will make up a new genus, if specimens in fruit could be observed.
Of forms described earlier some are to be indicated as new genera:
Carpomitra inermis

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is to me
Perithalia inermis

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(with fruit that come much closer to
Bellotia

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and
Encyothalia

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)
Hypnea ramentacea

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J. Ag. (previously) is to me
Merrifieldia ramentacea

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different from Hypnea by both fruits, and to be included among the
Rhodymeniaceae

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, close to
Rhodophyllis hypneoides

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.
Incidentally fruit specimens of
Melanoseris

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,
Sarcocladia

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,
Bindera

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,
Gattya

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etc. have induced various new views about structural relationships and systematic grouping, however, I cannot discuss them in more detail here.
Some few specimens (of
Confervae

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) are not yet investigated by me.
Now and again, but as soon as I am finished with them, I shall try to edit the new species and observations, on this I can say nothing today.
I would be very pleased to learn that the packet with algae is safely in your hands.
10
Receipt of this parcel was acknowledged in M to J. Agardh, 27 November 1883.
With respect signs
J. G. Agardh