The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 5/8/85 ¶ ¶ The one Eucalyptus, of which you sent specimen-branchlets this day, dear Mr Watson, ¶ is botanically known as Eucalyptus Sieberiana; the aborigines call it "Yomut"; the colonists call it ...

Document information

Physical location:

No 85/2309, unit 70, VPRS 425, inward registered correspondence, Engineer in Chief, VA 2876, Department of Railways, Public Record Office, Victoria. 85.08.05c

Plant names

Eucalyptus Sieberiana
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Eucalyptus obliqua
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Robert Watson, 1885-08-05 [85.08.05c]. 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/1880-9/1885/85-08-05c-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

5/8/85

The one Eucalyptus, of which you sent specimen-branchlets this day, dear Mr Watson,

See R. Watson to M, 5 August 1885 (in this edition as 85-08-05b).

is botanically known as ; the aborigines call it "Yomut"; the colonists call it by different names in different places, some "Gumtop", some Mountain Ash, but it is not the ordinary Ironbark-tree of Victoria, though possibly it may have got that name improperly in some places on account of the rugged nature of the bark. Mr W A. Howitt, the Police Magistrate of Sale, informed me, that he did not find the wood of lasting underground. I would therefore advise, that you obtain from him full information on this point, which he locally can best afford after so many years experience in Gippsland. The second sample of branchlets belongs to , the Messmate-Stringybark. You will obtain full information on these trees from my Eucalyptography.

B79.13.11, Decades 2 and 3 respectively.

Regardfully your

Ferd. von Mueller.

Would it not be well, to enter in all contracts when specifying the woods to be used in parenthesi also the scientific (latin) name?, it being now so easy from my work to do so.

Letter marked: 'Mr Darbyshire The or "Silvertop ironbark" cannot be accepted for piles. R.W. 6/8/85'; 'This refers to samples of timber from Gippsland which Mr Buckley wanted to use for Bacchus Marsh and Maddingley Line. The samples were taken on [to] Mr Mueller by Mr Peyton Jones. R.P.'; 'Yes! P.J. 21/9/85'; and 'file with other papers from Mr Buckley recently R.P. 29/9/85'.