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95.01.00f

Plant names

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to the Bureau of Agriculture of Western Australia, 1895-01 [95.01.00f]. 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//letters/1890-6/1895/95-01-00f-final.odt>, accessed June 4, 2026

1
Letter not found. For the text given here, see Journal of the Bureau of Agriculture (Perth, WA), vol. 2, no. 3 (5 February 1895), p. 295 (B95.02.02). The text is included in an article headed 'A Dangerous Poison Plant' concerning a plant suspected of poisoning stock; it is introduced by 'The plant was forwarded to Baron von Mueller for identification, and that gentleman kindly reports as follows:--'.
As regards the noxious weed mentioned in your letter No. 764, dated January 5th,
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Letter not found.
let me inform you that its systematic name is
Goodia medicaginea

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. It is a native of your colony, and the poisoning of pasture animals has arisen from this plant before, although not so frequently as from the gastrolobiums and exylobiums
3
Typesetter's error for Epilobium ?
of your colony. As the Goodia seeds freely, and the seeds germinate readily, the plant may become extremely dangerous if not subdued. It should be particularly prevented from seeding, and the developed bodies of it should be eradicated and burnt at once when dislodged. No doubt you will draw public attention to this shrub, more particularly so, as it is likely to be little suspected by most of your settlers.