The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ Let me say that I had no opportunity to see the flowers of the palm to which you allude, ¶ nor have I seen the fruit ripe. I think it must have grown from some palm seed dropped many years ago int...

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95.04.00e

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to T. Brown, 1895-04 [95.04.00e]. 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/1890-6/1895/95-04-00e-final.odt>, accessed June 9, 2026

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'An interesting tree', a letter from T. Brown to the Editor, Express and telegraph (Adelaide), 1 May 1895, p. 3 (B95.05.08). Brown has not been identified. His letter begins: 'Sir—Referring to the letters from Messrs. Caldwell and Elliott, which appeared in your issue of April 20, re "a wonderful tree," I will quote what Baron von Mueller says on the subject—'.

The original story reported that one of the palms growing near Government House, Adelaide, 'had the appearance of a singular specimen of the same family growing in the University Gardens near Melbourne … [which] was the result of seed obtained from a mine in the Ballarat district of Victoria at a depth of between two and three hundred feet' (Express and telegraph (Adelaide), 20 April 1895, p. 6). The article also included a letter from A. Elliott to M. Ferguson, 15 April 1895, describing the origins of the palm at the university, in which Elliott wrote 'I have sent a frond and seeds to Baron von Mueller for identification, but he has not been able to make it out' (letters not found).

Let me say that I had no opportunity to see the flowers of the palm to which you allude,

Letter not found.

nor have I seen the fruit ripe. I think it must have grown from some palm seed dropped many years ago into a shaft at the mines, the fruit getting covered up and externally somewhat solidified, but the kernel preserved, which may lay germinable thus for a long series of years.

The original story was used as an example of a 'Modern miracle' by the Narracoorte herald, 28 June 1895, p. 2, and was repeated in 'A visit to Victoria, some hurried observations' by Robert Caldwell in the Mount Barker courier, 22 November 1895, p. 3. In neither case was the clarification of M's views by Brown mentioned.