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Telopea Vol. 6(4): 1996 
and the only dicotyledon he found with long vitality was a species of Melianthus. He 
recommended keeping the pollen in paper with dry flannel in tin boxes. 
Besides introducing more new plants, including Salpiglossis, he was getting knitting 
needles for Mrs King and the latest music ('all the rage') from London. His interest in 
irids was not merely horticultural however, his drawing up discussions on generic 
delimitation in the groups, arguing that Babiaua and Antholyza be united, a course 
which was not followed until 1990. With respect to native plants, his bible was 
apparently King's copy of Robert Brown's Prodromiis (1810), which he borrowed over 
an extended period'”. He was suggesting hybridizing the native Nicatiana suaveolens 
with N. longiflora, a South American species he presumed to be allied, and synthesizing 
hybrid hibiscus and even jasmines including '/. bidzvillii'. He was even hybridizing 
species of 'Eugenia' (probably Syzygium) and Acmena, though this was the trickiest he 
had ever attempted, surpassing Aizoaceae and Polygala in difficulty'^. His introductions 
at this time included stephanotis, 'a splendid sweet-scented Apocynaceous plant from 
Madagascar'which is first listed in the 1845 Camden catalogue (p. 27). 
New Zealand again; Tahiti 
During 1844 Bidwill went to New Zealand againthis time being much concerned 
with the payments for sheep sent out from Ravensworth to Nelson and apparently 
acting as agent for James Bowman'**. In February 1845 (Herbert 1966) he was sent to 
Tahiti allegedly on the Coquette on 15 February (Bidwill 1952: 8) but his merchandise 
at least went there on the Ann, his large numbers of packages and sundries being 
insured for £400™. From Tahiti, which was undergoing civil unrest as the French had 
just deposed the Queen, he wrote of the troubles to Emily, wife of James Macarthur ” 
to whom he seems to have been rather attached and for whom he collected shells there. 
William Macarthur sent him £3 7/- worth of citrus, passionfruit, cactus and 
bougainvillea plants as well as vegetable seeds™, though Macarthur had hoped to 
extract more from James Kidd (a former convict and schoolfellow of Kew's John Smith) 
at the Botanic Gardens™. Bidwill tried in vain to establish commercial passionfruit¬ 
growing on the island (Bidwill 1952: 8). One of his shipments to Macarthur from Tahiti 
apparently never arrived^ though some seeds including those of the papaya, the first 
in Australia, and hybrid Hibiscus moschatus-speciosus (? Abelmoschus moschatus x Hibiscus 
coccineus) did, being sent for collection to the Australian Club of which Macarthur was 
a founder member™ and Bidwill an early one, being on its Committee since December 
1841™; Macarthur had heated greenhouse space for them at Camden. In March 1847, 
seedlings of the papayas were sent to William Sharp Macleay™, son of Alexander 
McLeay, whose house and botanically rich garden he had taken over in lieu of part of 
his father's heavy debts; in September 18 papaya plants from Camden were received 
at the Botanic Gardens™. A collection of Tahitian ferns reached Ludwig Leichhardt's 
friend. Lieutenant Robert Lynd, Barrack Master at Sydney™, Lynd proposing to send 
seeds to both Bidwill and Macarthur from Auckland*"’ in return. 
Bidwill sent Tahitian plants to Britain but they were directed to his father in Exeter 
and were delayed in reaching Kew; once again Lindley was criticized for neglecting 
his 'rare Tahitian Orchids which 1 sent him in spirit (at my own expense) on my 
return thence''" (Maiden 1908). Besides the papaya, his introductions to Australia 
included certain bananas, which he sent to King, and a form of Hibiscus rosa-sincnsis 
which flowered when only 20 cm tall'’^; he crossed this with 'H. liliiflorus', which 
Macarthur later sent to Hooker and to Lindley™. The Sydney Gardens™ received 
some of these bananas and hibiscus including the hybrids in September 1847. 
