INTRODUCTION 23 
The new names proposed by him are as follows: 
Hellenia gracilis Hassk.=Kolowratia elegans Presl. 
Zingiber blancoi Hassk.=Zingiber officinale Rose. 
Roscoea nigro-ciliata Hassk.=Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. 
Roscoea lutea Hassk.=Curcuma zedoaria Rose. 
Jasminum blancoi Hassk.=Jasminum sambac Ait. 
Jasminum aculeatum Walp.” 
Dicliptera viridis Hassk.=Hypoestes cinerea C. B. Clarke. 
Rostellularia blancoi Hassk.=Rostellularia procumbens Nees. 
Didymocarpus ? blancoi Hassk.=Ilysanthes australis Merr. 
Dopatrium aristatum Hassk.=? Dopatrium junceum Ham, 
Bonnaya personata Hassk.—Ilysanthes serrata Urb. 
The eminent botanist J. D. Hooker ** characterizes Blanco’s 
Flora de Filipinas as follows: 
The ‘Flora de Filipinas’ of Father Blanco, published at Manila in 1837, 
‘is a botanical curiosity, written in Spanish. The descriptions are inte!- 
ligible, but, from the author’s want of acquaintance with scientific works, 
so many well known plants are treated as new, that we consider it unde- 
sirable to devote time to their identification. 
Alphonse de Candolle,?> speaks of Blanco’s work as follows: 
Il est 4 regretter que ces révérends ecclésiastiques [Blanco and Loureiro] 
et méme le Pére Plumier, leur prédécesseur ne se soint pas contentés d’écrire 
des homélies. Bonnes on les aurait lues, mauvaises on les aurait mises de 
eété; tandis qu’ en histoire naturelle l’existence de certains noms et de 
certaines planches rend nécessaire de consulter indéfiniment les plus mau- 
vais ouvrages. 
While we must agree with these authorities regarding the 
value of Blanco’s work, yet it must be thoroughly understood 
‘that Blanco made no claim to being a botanist. He definitely 
states ** that he had neither instructors nor herbaria, nor scarcely 
any books. On commencing his investigations his only botan- 
ical work was the Systema Vegetabilium of Linnaeus (the edi- 
tion not indicated), but later he secured other works of the same 
author, Jussieu’s Genera Plantarum, and other books. Regard- 
ing his work I translate Blanco’s own statement: 
_ It was never my intention to frame a treatise on plants that would be 
worthy of publication. Mere curiosity impelled me to write what I con- 
* This new combination, based on Mogoriuwm aculeatum Blanco, is credited 
by Hasskarl to Walpers in Linnaea 16 (1842) Litt.-Bericht, where it does 
not occur, the species being considered by Walpers as Mogorium aculeatum 
Blanco. Jasminum aculeatum (Blanco) Walp. is apparently a valid species. 
_™ Hooker f. and Thomson T. Flora Indica 1 (1855) Introductory Essay 
56. . : 
*La Phytographie (1880) 141. 
*Fl. Filip. (1837) Prologo III. 
