Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given is appended to a report of an excursion of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria to Upper Ferntree Gully on 19/20 March 1892, in Victorian naturalist , vol. 9, pp. 50-53 (August 1892); M's letter is on pp. 53-4 (B92.08.01). During the excursion,

a specimen of an orchid was found by one of our party, and being very like a common species, no notice was taken of it, beyond the remark that it was remarkably late in flowering. The specimen was, however, secured and brought to town, when Baron von Mueller at once detected the difference, and found to his delight that the orchid, which we exhibit here this evening, was one of his own naming, and quite new for Victoria. (A special note re this orchid has been kindly prepared by the Baron, and is attached to this account of the trip.)

The item is dated to March 1892 on the assumption that the specimen would have been submitted to M while still fresh, shortly after the party returned to Melbourne, and that, as was his custom, he would have replied promptly.

The Cryptostylis found by you in the Dandenong Ranges, dear Mr. French,

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Charles French Snr. The specimen is at MEL 1540852 and has a label in M's hand identifying the collector as 'C. French'. The folder also has a drawing of the specimen by 'CF Jr' in whose hand the collector is identified as 'C. French Senr .'.

is the very rare C. leptochila , named by me from a specimen and coloured drawing furnished long ago by Miss L. Atkinson, and described in the "Flora Australiensis," vi., 335 (1873) .

3

Bentham (1863- 78) , vol. 6 .

It was then known only from New South Wales, Bentham recording it from Springwood, in the Blue Mountains, as collected by Richard Cunningham. Miss Atkinson found it not far from that spot. Mr. Fitzgerald, in his superb work on "Australian Orchids," has given an excellent illustration of this singularly local plant,

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R. Fitzgerald (1875-94), vol. 1, part 3 , plate [12] .

but that shows the labellum light red and the s pots thereon not very dark ; while your specimens have the labellum dark purplish, with larger, almost black spots, but this seems a mere variation of colour, unaccompanied by any other characteristics to separate your plant from the typic state ; b ut it might, under the designa tion var. frenchiana , be distinguished, which name should be retained, if specific characteristics are discoverable yet. Mr. Fitzgerald procured specimens at Mittagong.

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NSW .

As he further points out, C. leptochila is allied to the Javanic C. arachnites , which however has the leaves much broader, and, according to Blume's illustration, not dull red, but pale green underneath, and the spots of the labellum perhaps more numerous and smaller.

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Blume (1858 ) , plate 47, fig. 2.

C. alismifolia , which in 1881 I described from Samoa,

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B81.10.04, p. 172.

belongs to the same series in the genus, but is still more disrelated. Whether your plant should be regarded as late autumnal or rather early vernal, remains yet to be decided. Bentham describes the labellum of C . leptochila as concave, but it is convex, and only by a twist in drying could become so reversed as to assume a concave form. We ha v e no localities noted for this species, except tho se alluded to on this occasion.