Ferdinand von Mueller

10/3/87

I have put a few specimens of Australian palms together for you, dear Dr Beccari, such as recently were obtained, but — as you will be aware — these noble plants occur but very scantily in this part of the world. There is a new one among them, collected on the Bloomfield River

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Qld.

by Miss Ellie Bauer to whom I should like it dedicated.

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No species named for Bauer by Beccari is listed in IPNI (accessed 14 November 2020). However, it is almost certainly this specimen from which Livistona humilis var. sclerophylla was described: see Beccari (1921), p. 20: its locality was given as 'Australia orientale: Bloomfield River nel Queesland (Ellis Bauer)'.

The young lady just lost her father through death, so this naming of a palm in honor of herself, will cheer her in the present sorrow.

According to departmental entries here, you received some years ago of all Palms of Australia, so far as they are contained in my museum, fragments of leaves flowers and fruit, wherever such could be spared; but the material in my museum is now very limited, after Drude, Wendland & Kew were supplied. Lord Howe's Island is rarely visited, and it is not easy to obtain specimens from there.

Wendland & Drude gave however a good account of the palms from that Island.

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H. Wendland & Drude (1875).

I should be very glad, if you would early publish a description of Miss Ellie's palm, as so much competition has arisen, that such plant may easily fall into the hands of an other Botanist

The parcel will be despatched through Tate's parcel delivery office here.

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The archive folder also contains an envelope, addressed to Beccari and post-marked Melbourne 'MR 11 87'.