Document information

Physical location:

GRG 19/391, State Records of South Australia, Adelaide. 85.06.02a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Maurice Holtze, 1885-06-02 [85.06.02a]. 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/85-06-02a>, accessed September 10, 2025

1
The MS is torn, with the ends of several lines of text, including the date, missing.
The letter is difficult to date. It was almost certainly addressed to Maurice Holtze, to whom M always wrote in German, rather than to his son Nicholas to whom M appears always to have written in English. Maurice Holtze was appointed as curator of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in May 1891 and was in Adelaide from mid-June, so M would not have addressed a letter to him in early June 1891, or later, asking for seeds of plants from around Darwin.
M's main botanical communication with Paul Foelsche seem to have ended in around 1883, after which only one dated specimen collected by him is listed in AVH (accessed 11 September 2022).
Seeds were requested in M to M. Holtze, 29 July 1882.
Monochoria cyanea

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had been sent to Kew and in M to J. Hooker, 1 June 1884, the passage 'if you lost the
Monochoria cyanea

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, I could procure seeds anew' has been marked indicating that it had probably been lost. An annotation by Hooker indicates that he replied to M's letter on 21 July 1884. Hooker's letter has not been found but presumably he would have passed on this information to M.
The present letter is therefore dated, although far from certainly, to 1885. Flora of Australia (accessed 11 September 2022) states that it flowers mainly in January to May, so requesting seeds in June would have been appropriate.
2/6/[...]
Könnten Sie mich v[er]pflichten, geehrter He[rr] Holtze, mir noch w[...] einige frische Samen von M[ono]choria cyanea, der blau [-]ährigen Wasser- oder Sumpf-Pflanze, welche dort vorkommt, zukommen zu lassen? Ich hatte Samen dieses schönen Gewächses von Hr Foelsche; solche keimten auch; aber durch Unvorsicht ging die Pflanze in Europa wieder verloren.
Schreiben Sie mir doch, was von meinen Werken Sie dort besitzen; ich könnte die Reihe der Bände bei Ihnen gewiss vervollständigen.
Sie ehrend u Ihnen Alles Gute wünschend
Ihr
Ferd. von Mueller.
2 June [...]
Could you oblige me, esteemed Mr Holtze, by letting me have some fresh seeds of
Monochoria cyanea

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, the blue-spiked water or swamp plant occurring there? I had seeds of this beautiful plant from Mr Foelsche; they germinated all right, but the plant was lost again in Europe through carelessness.
Do write to me what you have of my works there. I am sure I could complete your series of volumes.
Sending you my respects and wishing you all the best
your
Ferd. von Mueller.