Ferdinand von Mueller

1

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Naming of Western Australian Flowers' in 'News and notes’, Western Australian, 11 July 1896, p. 5 (B96.07.01). It is introduced by

A gentleman in this town wrote some little time back to Baron von Mueller, suggesting that a manual should be published containing the names of the more familiar wild flowers of the bush. It is a most unsatisfactory fact that none of our children are acquainted with the proper names of the richest flora of the world, following in this the example set by their elders. It is extraordinary that so little has been thought of this want in the past. In the United Kingdom almost everyone is familiar from earliest childhood with the names and characteristics of the flowers of bank and field. Those of Western Australia are equally interesting, and yet to ninety-nine out of a hundred persons they are nameless mostly. Baron von Mueller fell in most heartily with the suggestion and wrote this following cordial letter:—‘.

Your thoughtful wish to have the more usual forms of Western Australian plants rendered known by their scientific names can be readily realised by the photo-zincographic or some other process now cheaply and quickly employed by illustrated newspapers and many other publications. I would be quite ready to name any specimens, if possible, both in flower and fruit, so that these could be used as the originals for the illustrations, and I could also give brief notes. The size of such issues need only be octavo, as for this popular purpose no analytic dissertation would be required, nor chromatography. Such issues could be by decades, and ten of them would form a fair volume. Even one single volume would give a good idea of most of your ordinary forms of plant life, but for your Public Library and Mechanics’ Institute should be acquired all my illustrated works, as they contain so many Western Australian specimens. Thus the Luzaporinous

2

Typesetter's error for Myoporinous?

plants, the salsolaceous plants, the acacias, the candolleacous plants.

3

B86.08.05; B89.13.04, B90.13.14, B91.10.02; B87.13.04, B88.13.01; B93.02.04.

This would give more than 200 plates of Western Australian plants and should be a good help.

4

The article concluded 'the suggestion is one as to which a strong hope may be expressed that it will be taken up by the Government, and all possible assistance given to the Baron in his interesting work.’ M’s death soon afterwards meant that the project did not proceed.