Berlin W # Kurfuerstenstr. 66 

 Nov. 23, 18?9 



Highly Honored Doctor. 1 



I have the honor to send you herewith the document in retard to your being 

 nominated as an honorary member of the "Botanischer Verein der Provinz Brandenburg. " 



I am taking this opportunity, trusting in yonr kindness to ask a special favor 

 of you. I have worked up the Lythraceae for the Flora Brasiliensis (Fase. 73, l8?7) 

 and since then have occupied myself to bring to a close a monograph of the whole 

 family. In this I have remained uncertain regarding a number of the North-American 

 species or, to express myself more correctly, the defining of these species has 

 become entirely clear to nie, not however the views of the North-American florists 

 regarding the same matter. Namely, I had the good fortune to find still very 

 characteristic features in the flowers of many Lythrum species, which up to the 

 present have been entirely overlooked. The neglect of these characteristics by the 

 North-American florists, namely by Torrey , Gray and Watson , has led to t^e combination 

 of many species, which I find it necessary to regard as being sharp and easy to 

 separate. With this difference in the views of both sides, I do not find it possible 

 to completely bring the synonymity in the clear, because I do not have the authentic 

 speeimens of the different forms defined by these researchers. 



I take the liberty therefor to ask you to support me with your advice as to how 

 I can procure authentic material of the species more closely described below; with 

 the name of each variety I will add what I need of the rest>ective species, in order 

 to get into the clear äbout them. It is in regard to: 



1) Cuphea aspera Chapman ; fragment with flower and some leaves, also a few seeds. 



2) Silene axillaris L eavenw . , 1 Single flower. The species should be = Cuph ea 

 viscosissima . 



5) Ammannia latifolia - of all forms which, aecording to Gray and Watson, belong 

 here, 1 leaf and a small axillare inflorescence with its inflorescence stem. 



k) Amm. hum ilis , of var. B a flower and a leaf; and also of the same species, as 

 far as they were collected in Oregon « the same parts. 



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