5/11/95.
It gave me much pleasure, dear Mr Holtze, to receive last evening your kind letter
and the parcel with Rhaphidophora leaves;— and as this is "Cup-Day"
and everyone is on the "Races" or at all events pleasure-hunting here, I get a
quiet
day for study or correspondence
on scientific
subjects. Am glad, you have some more species of plants soon to send, and as they
are
new to you
, some must also be new to science. Any, not requiring much critical research, will
at once be attended to. You speak in your letter of
2
parcels as sent off to me, but the one with the fruit in alcohol has not arrived.
Perhaps it may come to morrow, as on holidays only one letter-delivery takes place.
If the second parcel does arrive, I will write further. Please, let me know direct
or from the Rev Mr McKillop, whether the leaves are never broader than those, now
received. He might make a rough pencil sketch of the foliage much reduced with note
on the reduction-scale. I cannot make out for certain, whether the leaves had
holes near the keel
, or whether the holes came from ruptures of the leaf in drying. If the leaves have
such perforations naturally, then it is almost sure that your or his plant is conspecific
with that of Queensland for which Bentham adopts the name
, whereas I prefer that of R. pertusa, used by several authors, it being the
of Roxburgh, published thus already in 1820. That is also the only one, which has
these
openings
natural in the leaves. The Daly-River plant has probably the lower leaves or some
deeply slit
. I cannot think that this anyhow be new, as of this genus in the wider sense
31
spec. are described from India and Polynesia
There should however not be the slightest difficulty in finding some other new plant
for dedication to the Reverend Gentleman. I would especially urge him, to collect
also floating and submerged weeds occurring in the River and lagoons there, also to
gather any other plant which he may deem
uncommon
, even the
smallest
sorts, which are so easily sent and gathered
You will see from the enclosed prints that I still describe new plants.
I work also on the supplemental volume of the Flora, but I have almost daily to make
fresh additions, especially as regards the localities. Even some delay still in
printing
will be an advantage as meanwhile the msc. for the volume will be still more completed.
If you have any seeds of any Eucalypts and of
and superior sorts of Melons, may I have some? But what can I send you?
Let me hope, that you are happy and well.
Ferd von Mueller
Have received nothing from your brother
since a long time, though much must remain to be discovered near him.
