viii PREFACE. 
of the fascinating group of Stapeliew, both under cultivation and 
in the herbarium, for the past forty years, and it may be hoped 
therefore that his conclusions will have reached some finality. 
He has been led to the important result that many supposed 
native species have arisen from cross-fertilisaticn in European 
gardens. It is, however, a singular circumstance that some of 
the species which were the earliest described, and which cannot 
be accounted for in this way, have never been met with again 
by subsequent collectors. It is to be feared that one of the 
most striking features of the South African flora is doomed to 
gradual and irremediable extinction. 
Mr. W. P. Hrery, F.R.S., who is the acknowledged authority 
on the order, has undertaken the Ebenacew. In his monograph 
published in 1873 he had already taken up two species of 
Royena \eft by the late Professor HARVEY in manuscript. 
For some of the smaller orders it has also been possible to 
make use of Harvey’s work. It is somewhat remarkable that 
two species of Jasminum of which he left descriptions have 
remained since 1865 unanticipated in publication by any other 
describer. 
Dr. Stapr, F.R.S., has elaborated the Apocynacee. 
Lieut.-Colonel Pratn, C.LE., F.R.S., the Director of the 
Royal Botanic Gardens, has undertaken Loganiacew with Major 
H. A. Cummins, C.M.G., and Gentianee with Mr. A. W. sees 
the Assistant-Director. 
For the limits of the regions under which the localities are 
cited in which the species have been found to occur, reference 
may be made to the Preface to Vol. VI. 
I continue to be indebted for invaluable aid to Mr. GC, H. 
Wricut, A.LS., now Assistant Keeper, and to Mr. N. E. 
Brown, A.L.S., Assistant in the Herbarium of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, the former in reading the proofs, and the 
latter in working out: the geographical distribution. 
Besides the maps already cited in the Prefaces to Volumes 
VI. and VIL., the following have also been used :-— 
Map of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope and neigh- 
bouring territories. Compiled from the best available informa- _ 
tion. By JouN TEMPLER Horne, Surveyor-General. 1895, 
