In a letter to Carl Peter Thunberg, Lars Montin has intimated that letters from Linnaeus are on their way. Another piece of good news is that Linnaeus has approved Thunbergia. Thunberg is enclosing a document for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademien]. It is a description of a unique botanical phenomenon: a fungus with stamens and pistils and all other details of a plant except seeds [Thunberg refers to, "Beskrifning pa en ganska besynnerlig och obekant svamp, Hydnora africana"]. Thunberg is enclosing a drawing of it and will send a dried specimen. By rights, Thunberg should send this document to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters [Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab] in Trondheim as they have made him a member, but his patriotism dissuades him from doing so. Instead, he will send a description of Cycas caffra and of the Hottentots’ method of making bread from it. Some weeks ago Thunberg sent a box of bulbs and seeds to Linnaeus. Another parcel will soon follow via Thunberg’ s agent in Holland, Eric Floberg, and Abraham Bäck in Stockholm.
In his last letter to Linnaeus [Thunberg to Linnaeus, 4 April 1774{L4988}], Thunberg enclosed a new species of Solandra with a description. The same description was sent to Daniel Solander who will probably publish it in the Philosphical Transactions published by the Royal Society, London. It will be named Hydrocotyle tomentosa. This very day, he has sent a description of a beautiful plant, reminiscent of Thunbergia, to the Academy of Sciences in Stockholm [Thunberg refers to, “Rothmannia, ett nytt örte-genus"]. It will be named after Göran Rothman, an old friend of Thunberg’ s, who, Thunberg is told, soon will travel to Turkey. The description is enclosed with the letter, but in the first place [as it seems] intended for Peter Jonas Bergius as he can have an illustration made of it in Stockholm. Thunberg hopes that Linnaeus does not take offense of that. It is his way of showing Bergius some appreciation for favors he has shown Thunberg. Thunberg is also enclosing two herbs: Laurembergia regens and another whose genus is doubtful; maybe it is a Chenopodium.
The letter contains an appendix with descriptions of Rothmannia capensis and Hydnora Africana.