Ferdinand von Mueller

17/1/96

Herewith, dear Professor Spencer, I send you the description of the new scrophularineous genus, Elacholoma, which Prof Tate discovered, when you [w]ere out in Central Australia.

1

Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia. 1894. M's description was published in the report of the botany of the expedition, Tate (1896), p. 190, under the authority of both M and Tate; the name had previously been published in the report of the exhibits in which it was included by M at the May meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria (Victorian naturalist, vol. 12 (1895), p. 14), and in Tate (1895), p. 82.

As Prof. Tate sent me all his rough notes on the Horn plants, I find that Elacholoma Hornii should be inserted between Buechnera and Limosella in the msc. with you.

2

See Tate (1896), p. 172.

It is the best plant , he discovered. Either to day or to morrow you will receive also a note on Helichrysum Ayersii, which Prof Tate, I see from the rough notes — indicates from Giles finding, on which I based the species

3

M's descriptiom, B74.04.01, p. 161, does not mention a Giles, the specimen is attributed to Gosse.

The Professors specimen is somewhat aberrant as regards the pappus, but cannot be specifically separated.

4

M's note on the specimens of Helichrysum Ayersii collected during the Horn Expedition was published in Tate (1896), p. 165; Tate lists specimens from a number of collectors, including Christopher Giles.

On Sunday and in the early part of next week I will attend to two cyperaceous plants left yet unfinished by me for the Horn-plants; that will be in time, as they come in only at the close which will take several days yet.

5

A note by M distinguishing a variety of Cyperus umbellatus that he named fasciculigerus was included in the account of the Cyperaceae in Tate (1896), p. 181.

Be so kind to send me the proofsheet, or proof slips, on which Elacholoma will appear, as I would be glad to revise the proof.

Could the R.S. here

6

The Royal Society of Victoria. Spencer was Secretary of the Society.

publish the Elder-plants, if Prof Tate approves of it? They would not require very many sheets print.

7

The report on the plants of the Elder Expedition was not included in Part I (1892) or Part II (1893) of vol. 16 of the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia , which were dedicated to the Expedition; the remaining reports, including that by M and Tate on the plants, appeared as Part III (1896), when Robert Barr-Smith paid the costs of the publication.

Through the urgent enormous rural work in my branch of the service, the phytographic writings get incessently interrupted.

The correspondence is something prodigeous.