Document information

Physical location:

Handskr. Avdl., Universitetsbibliotek, Lund, Sweden. 89.04.00

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Jacob Agardh to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1889-04. 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/89-04-00>, accessed September 11, 2025

1
Letter not completed, possibly a draft copy.
1889
Hochgeehrter Herr Baron
Die in Ihrem Brief vom 28/2 der mir gestern abend zukam mir zugestellte Frage will ich gleich zu beantworten suchen.
Von der Flora Capensis ist nur der erste Theil publicirt, und dieser enthält nur die ersten Klassen des Linnéen Systems. Von dem Prodromus kenne ich nur 2 Theile und in der Polyandria ist keine Nymphaea aufgenommen. Eine andere Arbeit von Thunberg wo eine N. Capensis beschrieben seyn mögte kenne ich nicht. Es schien mir demnach nöthig zu seyn in den Sammel-Werken nachzusehen ob über eine N. Capensis was da mitgetheilt wurde.
2
Marginal note 'Tab. XXI'.
Aber nirgends finde ich eine N. Cap. aufgezählt. Ich habe darüber nachgesucht Willdenow und Sprengel Systema Vegetabilium, Decandolle prodromus, Walpers repertorium, Steudel nomenclator und nirgends finde ich eine N. Capensis. Harvey in Genera South African plants scheint nur 1 South Afr. species N. stellata with blue or rarely white flowers eine S. Afr. art zu kennen — N. stellata. Leider kenne ich nicht ob Caspary der sich mit Nymphaeaceen viel beschäftigte, von einer N. Capensis was mitgetheilt haben mögte.
[April] 1889.
3
Mail between Melbourne and Lund took about 6 weeks; an immediate reply to M's letter of 28 February would suggest mid-April 1889 as a likely date for this letter.
Highly esteemed Baron,
I shall try immediately to answer the question you asked in your letter of 28 February, which arrived yesterday evening.
4
See M to J. Agardh, 28 February 1889 (in this edition as 89-02-28a).
Only the first part of the Flora capensis was published
5
Thunberg (1807-13), i.e. fascicles 1–3 of vol. 1; for the complex publication history of this work, see TL2, title number 14,385.
and this contains only the first Classes of the Linnéan System. I know only two parts of the Prodromus and no Nymphaea was included in the 'Polyandria'. I do not know of another work by Thunberg, where a
Nymphaea capensis

Search for Nymphaea capensis in

might have been described.
6
Thunberg (1794-1800), of which only two parts were issued (TL2). Despite Agardh's comment, the species was named in vol. 2, p. 92, being the only species of Nymphaea listed in the Polyandria.
It seemed to me therefore to be necessary to check in the compilations, whether a N. capensis was mentioned there. But I cannot find a N. capensis enumerated anywhere. I have searched for it in Willdenow and Sprengel Systema vegatabilium,
7
Linnaeus (1825-8).
Decandolle prodromus,
8
A. P. de Candolle (1823-73).
Walpers reportorium,
9
Walpers (1842-8).
Steudel nomenclator
10
Steudel (1840-1).
and I can not find a N. capensis anywhere. Harvey in Genera South African plants
11
Harvey (1838), p. 5.
seems to know only one South African species N. stellata with blue, or rarely white flowers, a South Aftrican species — N. stellata. Unfortunately I do not know, whether Caspary, who did much work in the
Nymphaeaceae

Search for Nymphaeaceae in

, communicated anything about a N. capensis.