23rd October, 1895
Two days ago, dear Sir William, arrived two parcels of plants from you, which contained
collections from the Astrolabe Range and Mount Goodenough. I am very much obliged
for this sending, as any such contributions must necessarily contain material for
enlarging our knowledge of the Papuan flora. Although many of the specimens now received
represent plants of wide distribution in Southern India and the Sunda Islands, some
are again of novel interest, at least so far as geographical distribution is concerned.
The New Guinea cotton-treeis a
, which genus I recorded already from your colony. I will draw up a memorandum on
these new gatherings, giving details such as would seem within the interests of your
periodic documents.
By the time when your great administrative capabilities will be transferred to the
governing of one of the greater colonies of the British Crown, the collections there
to be gained yet within the next few years can then be enumerated in a so far complete
list. Meanwhile the additions likely to be gained will in many cases enable me to
deal with the
incomplete
specimens
doubtless
in many cases also. The great difficulty in naming
reliably
many of the species also again in the present two parcels consists in
fruiting specimens
being wanting in so many instances. Even the attempt in many cases to do justice to
a flowering specimen only is often resultless, and hours and hours of studies leave
nothing or little to show for the time spent. But, of course, fruit cannot always
at once be found.
Enclosed is a letter from Mr Edgar,
the able director of the Botanic Garden of Rockhampton, the nearest institution of
that kind to you, as in Townsville the garden, I believe, is kept more as a park.
I have written to make at once for you ready a case containing vanilla and what else
he can supply of those plants specially mentioned by you.
Nothing could be easier to fill the case with ferns in New Guinea when it was returned,
but the chances of sending orchids in reciprocity would also be good, and perhaps
bamboo also.
Could your collector secure portions of a leaf and of a flower, or even only some
few separate flowers-spike of any species of wild
, also a fruit, with a
sketch
of the plant, giving dimensions and showing whether the spike is erect or pendant;
also note on colour of flowers, and whether the root produces offshoots or not?
How many palms would you estimate to exist in British New Guinea? Dr Berrari
records for all New Guinea about 50, systematically named already. Perhaps fifty;
more may exist. How many indigenous
s
?
Let me hope that your health remains firm in your trying clime there. With regardful
remembrance,
Yours,
FERD. VON MUELLER
