ch. xvii.] KEW INDEX. 343 



the event of these not being completed during his life- 

 time. 



" Amongst other objects connected with botanical sci- 

 ence, Mr. Darwin regarded with especial interest the impor- 

 tance of a complete index to the names and authors of the 

 genera and species of plants known to botanists, together 

 with their native countries. Steudel's Nomenclator is the 

 only existing work of this nature, and although now nearly 

 half a century old, Mr. Darwin had found it of great aid in 

 his own researches. It has been indispensable to every bo- 

 tanical institution, whether as a list of all known flowering 

 plants, as an indication of their authors, or as a digest of 

 botanical geography." 



Since 1840, when the Nomenclator was published, the 

 number of described plants may be said to have doubled, so 

 that Steudel is now seriously below the requirements of bo- 

 tanical work. To remedy this want, the Nomenclator has 

 been from time to time posted up in an interleaved copy in 

 the Herbarium at Kew, by the help of " funds supplied by 

 private liberality." * 



My father, like other botanists, had, as Sir Joseph Hooker 

 points out, experienced the value of Steudel's work. He 

 obtained plants from all sorts of sources, which were often 

 incorrectly named, and he felt the necessity of adhering to 

 the accepted nomenclature, so that he might convey to other 

 workers precise indications as to the plants which he had 

 studied. It was also frequently a matter of importance to 

 him to know the native country of his experimental plants. 

 Thus it was natural that he should recognise the desirability 

 of completing and publishing the interleaved volume at 

 Kew. The wish to help in this object was heightened by 

 the admiration he felt for the results for which the world 

 has to thank the Royal Gardens at Kew, and by his grati- 

 tude for the invaluable aid which for so many years he re- 

 ceived from its Director and his staff. He expressly stated 

 that it was his wish " to aid in some way the scientific work 

 carried on at the Royal Gardens " \ which induced him to 

 offer to supply funds for the completion of the Kew Nomen- 

 clator. 



The following passage, for which I am indebted to Pro- 

 fessor Judd, is of interest, as illustrating the motives that 



23 



* Kew Gardens Report, 1881, p 62. 

 t See Nature, January 5, 1882. 



