ee Tee es a ee 
PREFACE, 13* 
To this copious list two distinguished names should have been 
gratefully added, had not both been removed by death during 
the publication of this volume. The late Professors, LEHMANN, 
of Hamburgh, and E. Mryer of Konigsberg, who possessed rich 
collections of South African plants, have largely contributed to 
the completeness of this Flora by placing in the authors’ hands, 
for examination and description, many rarities not otherwise 
accessible ; and Professor Lehmann, especially, as Dr. Sonder’s 
early friend and first instructor in botany, felt a lively interest in 
the labours of his former pupil. 
A few words may be useful to the student or amateur in guid- 
ing him to the use of this FLORA. In the present stage of the 
publication we must swppose that he has some previous know- 
ledge, sufficient to tell him whether the plant he wishes to name 
be one described in this first volume or not. This volume con- 
tains only the Thalamiflore (or polypetalous Exogens with 
hypogynous stamens) and six Orders of Calyciflore (a great 
group, which will extend over vols. 2 and 3). Unless therefore 
his plant be exogenous, polypetalous, and with hypogynous, or 
somewhat perigynous, but not epigynous stamens, he will not 
find it in this first volume. Supposing it be polypetalous, with 
hypogynous stamens, and that he does not know to what Order 
it should be referred, (if he have no manual of Systematic 
Botany at hand) let him turn to the table headed “Sequence 
of natural orders, &c.” page xxxiv. There, partly by reading the 
characters of the Orders, and comparing with his specimen ; and 
partly by passing over such Orders as he knows it cannot be re- 
ferred to, he may arrive—after a little practice—at a knowledge 
of what Order his plant belongs to. This is at first a difficult 
process, and the unassisted student will make many blunders ; 
but if he have patience to struggle with this difficulty, and memory 
to retain any step once fairly gained, the rest of the book will 
be comparatively easily mastered. For, once the student is quite 
sure that he knows the proper natural Order of his specimen by 
turning to that Order in the body of the work, and consulting 
the “Table of the South African Genera” which follows the 
description of the Order, he will find the genus indicated in the 
