Regional Botany in Mid-nineteenth-century Australia: Mueller's Murray River Collecting Network

摘要

The Murray-Darling Basin provided Ferdinandrnvon Mueller with extensive environsrnfor collecting plants and seeds during his 49-rnyear residence in Australia (fig. 1). Mueller'srnown Murray River collecting expedition inrn1853 provided much new material for thernNational Herbarium of Victoria. This builtrnupon his earlier collections of Lower Murrayrnplants compiled during a brief residence inrnSouth Australia in the years 1847-52. Mueller'srnMurray River collection was augmentedrnby many donations of plants, seeds and driedrnspecimens over the following decades. Thernextent of his Murray and Darling River collectingrnnetwork has largely remained buriedrnin his correspondence and Annual Reports.rnThis paper demonstrates the importance ofrnthe inland river system and the incipientrnriver trade to mid-nineteenth-century botanicalrnscience. By focusing on the botanicalrnefforts of a small number of Murray Riverrnresidents and travellers (fig. 2), it also showsrnthat, despite making only one major expeditionrnto this region, Mueller managed withinrnhis first decade as Victoria's GovernmentrnBotanist to tap the botanical riches of thernMurray-Darling Basin.