Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS found with a specimen of Omphalea queenslandiae (MEL 270148). An attached note by M reads 'Nutbearing climber | Johnstone River | Dr Bancroft | 1885'. MS dated to 1889 since Bailey’s description was published that year. The collector was Thomas Lane Bancroft.

Short description of an oily edible nut found climbing over the scrub trees at the Johnstone River Northern Queensland

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a large rampant climber

Leaves alternate with 2 prominent glands at the top of the petiole, broadly ovate shortly acuminate the base truncately rounded 4 to 6 ins long often over 4 in broad. on petiole of about 1 to 1½ in long, penninerved with few distant prominent veins which anastomase and form a looped intermarginal one the smaller reticulations not very prominent — leave near the inflorescence narrow lanceolate on longer petioles —Inflorescence terminal or in the upper axils slightly tomentose in short rather dense forked cymes — flowers pedicellate;

2

In his description of Omphalea queenslandiae in Bailey (1889), p. 59, Bailey has 'pedunculate'.

bracts short with sublate points, closely appressed and scarcely more that 1 line long. Segments of perianth imbricate enlarging under the fruit —

Style short — having a capulate 4-lobed stigma

Dear Baron

I just received a few more of the climber which is said to bear the 3 nuts in a fruit sent some months ago — and for fear they might be in poor condition when you receive them I began a diagnosis to help you but when I came to the flower and ovary I am in very great doubt if these flowers are from the plant bearing the nuts in question So I stoped and send on all my material feeling sure you set the matter to rights — It does seem hard that we cannot depend upon the observation of collectors but we cannot so there is an end to it

I had overlooked these specimens when packing up the others yesterday

Johnstone River climbing nut— largely eaten The flowers belonging to the nut I send you my remaining fruit and hope to hear soon

3

The text of this paragraph is written on a separate slip of paper.