i882.] MISCELLANEOUS BOTANICAL LETTERS. 523 



species of plants known to botanists, together with their 

 native countries. Steudel's ' Nomenclator ' is the only exist- 

 ing work of this nature, and although now nearly half a cen- 

 tury old, Mr. Darwin had found it of great aid in his own 

 researches. It has been indispensable to every botanical insti- 

 tution, whether as a list of all known flowering plants, as an 

 indication of their authors, or as a digest of botanical geo- 

 graphy." 



Since 1840, when the 'Nomenclator' was published, the 

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

 that the ' Nomenclator ' is now seriously below the require- 

 ments of botanical work. To remedy this want, the * Nomen- 

 clator ' has been from time to time posted up in an inter- 

 leaved 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 recognize the desirability 

 of completing and publishing the interleaved volume at Kew. 

 The wish to help in this object was heightened by the admi- 

 ration he felt for the results for which the world has to thank 

 the Royal Gardens at Kew, and by his gratitude for the in- 

 valuable aid which for so many years he received 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 " f — which induced him to offer to supply 

 funds for the completion of the Kew ' Nomenclator.* 



* Kew Gardens Report, iSSi, p. 62. 

 f See ' Nature,' January 5, 1882. 



