CHAP, iv Taxonomy, 1860-1900 131 



xxvi, and were published between the years 1886 and 1902. 

 Boissier's Flora Orientalis, which dealt chiefly with Persia 

 and Greece, ranged from 1867 to 1888. 



Besides these more prominent works, a useful series of 

 monographs of Indian genera and families appeared with 

 a certain intermittence in the Annals of the Royal Botanical 

 Gardens of Calcutta, which were started by Sir George King 

 in 1887, and in other serial publications. 



Botanical exploration in Africa has always been diffi- 

 cult, on account of the climate, want of information about 

 the country, and the character of its inhabitants. Still 

 some progress was made. Harvey and Sonder began the 

 issue of the Flora Capensis in 1859 and continued it till 

 1865, when circumstances compelled them to stop its 

 publication ; it was resumed, however, in 1896. Oliver's 

 Flora of Tropical Africa was commenced in 1868, and is 

 still appearing; Engler's Pftanzenwelt Ost-Afrikas dates 

 from 1895. 



The great Flora Australicnsis was published under the 

 editorship of Bentham between 1863 and 1878. This was a 

 work of great difficulty, the country being so little known 

 and presenting such- apparently insurmountable obstacles 

 to travellers. It owed much to the labours of Ferdinand 

 von Mueller, who made substantial contributions to it, based 

 on his personal explorations. 



Martius' Flora Brasiliensis, which Bentham spoke of 

 as a splendid monument of systematic botany, was begun 

 in 1840. Its publication was associated with many of the 

 most distinguished systematists of our period: J. G. 

 Baker contributed substantially to it, as did A. W. 

 Bennett, and Maxwell T. Masters. It was for a long time 

 under the editorship of Eichler. 



A very important essay from the pen of Dr. J. Hooker 

 on the distribution of Arctic plants appeared in 1860. 



The North American Flora was expounded very fully 



I 2 



