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Archives of the Botanic Garden of Belgium, Meise, SP, Correspondences, "Von Mueller". 86.12.02a

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Alfred Cogniaux, 1886-12-02 [86.12.02a]. 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//letters/1880-9/1886/86-12-02a-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

1
Stamped: 'Coll A. Cogniaux 1916'. The file also includes a French translation of M's letter.
Let me express my grateful acknowledgement, dear Professor Cogniaux, for your kindness of attending so speedily to the various
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, sent from here. It is pleasing to me, that you found some novelties among these plants, and it was very generous of you, to connect my name with one of the Australian and one of the Papuan novelties.
2
Cogniaux published Alsomitra muelleri and Trichosanthes muelleri in Cogniaux (1887). He had evidently told M he intended to do so.
As by the great pressure of engagements in my Department, I could not work much on New Guinean plants for several months, it may be some time, before I can issue an other part of the "Papuan plants", — and I would beg of you therefore, to publish early the new species in some European periodical, before they become perhaps redescribed from some other collections in Europe.
3
The next part of M's Descriptive notes on Papuan plants was not published until May 1890 (B90.05.01). Cogniaux published the new
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that M had sent him in Cogniaux (1887).
I was ill , when the collections were packed up; and now I see, that my manual assistant actually included the well known
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among them. Of course I knew this genus well from bot Gardens as a student already, and I showed myself the presense of
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in tropical Australia 1857, when I wrote the report on the plants of the Expedition for Sir Will Hooker's Journal.
4
The report was 'communicated by the Colonial Office' to the Linnean Society, London, and was published in the Society's Journal and proceedings (B58.05.01); see M to W. Hooker, 20 May 1857, and M to A. Gregory, 20 May 1857 (in this edition as 57-05-20a).
Best thanks also for sending me your photogram, which has received a prominent place in the Album of pictures of illustrious friends.
5
There is no picture of Cogniaux in M's surviving photograph album.
I will send early next year a lithogr. picture of myself for your kind acceptance.
Regardfully your
Ferd. Von Mueller.