Ferdinand von Mueller

1

MS found with a specimen of Actinotus bellidioides var. suffocata (MEL 230045). MS annotations by M: 'Seneca' and 'Answ 3/10/92'. Letter not found.

Hobart,

Sept. 27th /92.

Dear Baron,

Some months ago I had numerous specimens of Actinotus bellidioides sent me from Mt. Dundas.

2

Tas.

They were easily sortable into two varieties identical with the figures in Hook. Fl. Tas.

3

J. Hooker (1860), part 1, p. 158, and tab. 36, as Hemiphues bellidioides.

as var. suffocata & var. fulva (but never with petals).

I have been submitting them lately to a careful examination & find that though the latter variety corresponds thoroughly with the type the variety suffocata, in every instance I examined differed in two remarkable features namely even in the youngest flowers there was no trace of a calyx-limb & the stamens were reduced to two & inserted into notches at the foot of the enlarged base of the style on the dorsal aspect of the carpels.

Unfortunately all the best specimens I sent away some time ago trusting to procure more, but the opportunity has passed & I may be unable to procure more for years I enclose however what I have not already destroyed together with a copy of details of the plant drawn from microscopic observation.

4

MS is accompanied by a small square of paper with several pencil sketches, now very faint, that are reproduced here; see (in the original, the drawing labelled 'nat size' is 26 mm high). Rodway (1894), p. 180 and plate 2, figs 1-5 discusses the issue and raises Hooker's variety suffocata to species rank. The published drawings are very similar to equivalent ones given here.

I trust that I am not wasting your time over a matter of little consequence.