PREFACE. vii 
over which this country has recently acquired an influence and he 
would therefore suggest that the completion of the work in question 
should at once be carried out. 
“Tam, Ae, 
< (Signed) T. V. LISTER. 
“THE DIRECTOR, Kew Gardens.” 
In replying to this letter I pointed out that my scientific staff was 
so occupied with routine work that it was impossible to treat the com- 
pletion of the Flora as a matter of official duty. If, however, as in the 
first instance, it was regarded as an extra-oflicial undertaking, I 
was willing to do my best, with such voluntary assistance as I could 
obtain, to assist Her Majesty’s Government in getting the work com- 
pleted. It was accordingly agreed that a commencement should be 
made in 1892. Much preliminary labour had to be accomplished, and 
in order to avoid the inconvenience of anticipation, provisional technical 
descriptions of new African plants received at Kew were drawn up by 
members of the staff and officially published in the Kew Bulletin. 
These were available for working up subsequently in the Flora. The 
number of species so published up to the present date amounts to 
upwards of 800. 
A list of the known plants occurring in British Central Africa, 
amounting to upwards of 1,800, compiled from the Kew records by a 
member of the Kew staff, Mr. I. H. Burkill, M.A., is printed in Sir H. H. 
Johnston’s “ British Central Africa,” pp. 233-284, prefaced by a brief 
history of botanical exploration in the Protectorate (see Kew Bulletin, 
1897, pp. 170-171). It is estimated that the number of species would 
be increased by the intercalation of recent additions to 2,500. 
As to the general scope of the work, it will be convenient to quote 
the following passage from Professor Oliver’s preface to the first 
volume. It still in great measure holds good :— 
“ From our very imperfect knowledge of the vegetation of many 
parts of the continent, even of those which have been long more or less 
in European occupation, and from our complete ignorance of that of 
the immensely larger area not yet opened up, the present work must 
not be regarded as presenting anything like a complete account of 
Tropical African Botany. It serves rather as a vehicle for the 
publication of the important botanical results of much recent expendi- 
ture of life, toil, and money, which would otherwise have been lost to 
Science or anticipated by other nations, and (embracing references to 
all hitherto published African species) as a repertory which it is hoped 
may be useful to botanists, no less than to future explorers and 
residents in Africa interested in the natural productions and economic 
products of the country.” 
In the mode of execution the pattern of the published volumes has 
been closely adhered to. I may again quote Professor Oliver’s 
preface :— 
“The ‘Flora of Tropical Africa,’ forming one of the series of 
Floras undertaken, at the instance of the late Sir William J. 
