The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: Port Darwin ¶ 9th Jan 91. ¶ Esteemed Baron! ¶ ¶ Today I am sending you the promised herbarium plants and seeds in three parcels by post. ¶ ¶ The number 1269 is particularly interesting to me. I foun...

Document information

Physical location:

RB MSS M48, Library, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 91.01.09

Plant names

Carica papaya
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- Australian Plant Name Index
Grevillea mymosoides
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- Australian Plant Name Index

Preferred Citation:

Maurice Holtze to Ferdinand von Mueller, 1891-01-09. 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/91-01-09>, accessed September 11, 2025

MS found with a specimen of Schefflera actinophylla (MEL 2248669), one of several MEL specimens with record number 1269, all dated January 1891. MS annotation by M: 'Beantw. [Answered] 9/2/91'. See M to M. Holtze, 8 February 1891; M's annotation probably refers to the date when this was posted.

Port Darwin

9th Jan 91.

Geehrter Hr Baron!

Heute sende ich in 3 post parcels die versprochenen Herbarium Pflanzen u Samen.

Die No 1269 ist mir ganz besonders interessant. Ich fand dieselbe an der Rum Jungle. Der Baum wächst ganz wie eine Carica Papaya, mit einer Krone der grossen wundervollen Blätter, der Stamm zeigt die Spuren der abgefallenen Blätter. In der Mitte der Blatt Krone kommt der Bluthenstand, ein wunderbar schöner Wirl von bis zu 20 Zweigen, im frischen Zustande leuchteng

leuchtend?

roth. Im Alter verzweigt sich der Stamm ein wenig, beheilt aber sonst dieselben Character.

Die Früchte bekam ich vorige Woche von einen

einem?

Buschman den ich den Auftrag gab. Leider waren dieselben auf dem Wege mouldig geworden, doch sagt er die Farbe ist dunkelroth fast schwarz.

Ich bin in Eile diese Sendung zur Stadt zu bringen, so mach shliessen

schliessen?

mit bester Hochachtung

Ihr

immer ergebener

Maurice Holtze

P S. Mein Sohn Nicholas hat Ihnen einen Aufsatz über eingelegt. Bitte beurtheilen Sie denselben nachsichtig

Port Darwin

NT.

9th Jan 91.

Esteemed Baron!

Today I am sending you the promised herbarium plants and seeds in three parcels by post.

The number 1269 is particularly interesting to me. I found it at Rum Jungle.

NT.

The tree grows quite like , with a crown of large marvellous leaves, the trunk shows the traces of the fallen leaves. The inflorescence comes in the middle of the leaf crown, a marvellously beautiful whorl

There is no German word 'Wirl', but there can be little doubt that this is what Holtze meant; he appears to have constructed the word from the English.

of up to 20 branches in the fresh state bright red. With age the trunk sends out branches a little, but otherwise retains the same character.

I got the fruit last week from a bushman to whom I gave an order. Unfortunately they became mouldy on the way, but he said the colour is dark red almost black.

I am in a hurry to bring this consignment to town, so close with best respect

Your

always devoted

Maurice Holtze

P.S. My son Nicholas has enclosed an essay on .

G. mimosoides? 'An acrid secretion from the seeds of a species of Grevillea', a paper by Nicholas Holtze read at the meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria on 9 March 1891, but not published. See Victorian naturalist, vol. 8 (1891), p. 5.

Please judge it considerately.