70 DR. O. STAPF ON THE FLORA OF MOUNT KINABALU. 
am well aware that conclusions drawn from about 360 species, perhaps one fourth or 
one fifth of the phanerogamic vegetation of the mountain, cannot be considered final, but 
they may yet mark a considerable progress if we keep in view that all the hitherto 
published species from Kinabalu amounted to less than 20 species. In working out 
the collection I met with the same difficulty which is alluded to by almost every botanist 
who has had to deal with the Malayan flora—the difficulty which arises from Blume’s and 
particularly from Miquel’s practice of describing species from very incomplete material, 
and from the fact that not a few of the determinations in the collections which were 
distributed from Leyden are untrustworthy. However, by revising the Malayan material 
of those genera with which I had to deal in the Kew Herbarium, I have succeeded 
generally in bringing together trustworthy types of most of the species hitherto described, 
or at least of those which possibly might come under consideration, thus laying a solid 
foundation. 
The Orchids have been determined and described by Mr. Ridley, Superintendent of the 
Botanic Garden in Singapore; the Ferns by Mr. J. G. Baker, Keeper of the Royal 
Herbarium, Kew, and the Mosses by Mr. C. H.Wright, Assistant in the Royal Herbarium, 
Kew, and by Mr. W. Mitten; whilst Mr. C. B. Clarke has been kind enough to name 
most Cyperacee and to place his descriptions of two new species of Cladium at my 
disposal. It very fortunately happened that Dr. Haviland arrived at Kew just before 
this paper was ready for press. He obliged me deeply by going through the general part 
of the manuscript with me and by assisting me with his valuable experience gained on 
the spot. This entailed, of course, various corrections and modifications, adding, 
however, I hope, to the value of the paper. He allowed me also to insert an abstract of 
an account of his expedition which was originally drawn up for private use. 
I here avail myself of the opportunity to express my most sincere gratitude to 
these gentlemen for their kind help, and to add particularly my heartiest thanks to 
Mr. W. T. Thiselton Dyer, the Director, for the permission to work out this most 
valuable collection, and to publish the results, and to Professor D. Oliver and my 
colleague Mr. W. Botting Hemsley, for their assistance in many difficult cases. 
I. HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE BOTANICAL EXPLORATION OF MOUNT KINABALU. 
From Sir Hveum Low's First EXPEDITION (1851) To 
Mr. WHITEHEAD’s EXPLORATION (1887, 1888). 
Mount Kinabalu was first visited by Mr. (now Sir) Hugh Low, who nearly 
reached the summit, in 1851. A collection made on this occasion was sent to 
Kew, and the more striking species were described by Sir Joseph Hooker in the 
‘Icones Plantarum,’ vol. ix. (1852), whilst an account of the ascent was published 
by Sir Hugh Low himself in ‘Journ. Ind. Arch.’ vi. (1852) pp. 1-17. In 1856 
Mr. Thomas Lobb, the well-known collector, attempted to reach the mountain, but 
~ he was forced by the natives to return. Some of Lobb’s plants in the Kew Herbarium 
e marked “ Borneo ” may have been collected on this abortive expedition, but there is no 
