The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: 9/10/87 ¶ ¶ The plant, to which you refer as such a troublesome weed, dear Mr Crawford, is the Modiola multifida, a native of North-America. ¶ ¶ I presume, the tall somewhat pendulous Bamboo, to whi...

Document information

Physical location:

Archives, University of New England, Armidale, NSW. 87.10.09a

Plant names

Bambusa Arnhemica
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Eucalyptus corymbosa
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- Australian Plant Name Index
Modiola multifida
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- Australian Plant Name Index

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Alexander Crawford, 1887-10-09 [87.10.09a]. 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/1880-9/1887/87-10-09a-final.odt>, accessed June 9, 2026

9/10/87

The plant, to which you refer as such a troublesome weed, dear Mr Crawford, is the , a native of North-America.

I presume, the tall somewhat pendulous Bamboo, to which you refer, is a cultivated species, as never yet any Bambusaceaus plant has been found or recorded from in N.S.W. or even in the southern parts of Queensland as wild, though one kind occurs as indigenous near Trinity-Bay,

Qld.

and one, my , in the Kimberley-Country.

WA.

Should there be a native Bamboo on the MacLeay-River,

NSW.

then I would be greatly pleased to get portion of the leaves and some flower and grains of it, also a description of soil, height, color of stem &c

Such data, as you give about the durability of the Eucal. corymbosa are of great importance , particularly so, as you can be always relied on for the identification of the trees. By all means give me any such information, as I can utilize it under your honored name already in the early part of 1888, when a new edition of the "select plants" is to appear, still further augmented.

B88.13.02, p. 148: . 'Fence-posts from this tree showed hardly any decay after 40 years (R. Crawford)'. (Crawford's given names were Alexander Robert; it is not known why M chose to use the second initial.) The passage does not appear in the next, 1891 edition of the work.

I am quite touched with your generosity towards the Expedition. I merely sent the circular, to show you our intentions . I am so sorry to hear of your adversities, and all the more sympathize, because I am less prosperous now than when I came as a young Doctor in 1847, though never speculating or entertaining

Regardfully your

Ferd von Mueller