INTRODUCTIOxV. O 



Necker, Riimphius and Rheede. with a host of 

 i5imilar worthy authors, are neglected and omit- 

 ted or not properly fixed. 



In doing this, I shall again adopt the desul- 

 tory order of arrangement, with alphabetical 

 Index, and for the reasons often stated, that I 

 cannot stoop to follow the erroneous sexual sys- 

 tem, nor the imperfect serial method of any 

 modern Author. A perfect serial order is yet 

 a desideratum in Botany, none has hit upon it, 

 nor begun it by the Rose as I did. I have given 

 my ow^n view of this Serial Order in first part 

 of Flora Telluriana, and altho' apparently the 

 best or least imperfect, if I was to follow it 

 here, I might certainly be as much blamed as I 

 may be for my Desultory Order ; which is how- 

 ever that of Hooker and Lindley in their perio- 

 dical publications, that of Lamark, Poiret, with 

 many othe^' writers, and the Centuries of Bivona"^ 

 and ten others. 



Altho' we have several woi'ks on Fruit trees. 

 Forest Trees, Ornamental Shrubs, of some Re- 

 gions, no work has ever been attempted upon 

 all those of our Globe; and altho' usually intro- 

 duced in general works, yet they appear there 

 drowned and blended vvith the whole of vegeta- 

 tion : while they hold such a rank by size and 

 importance, as to deserve to stand alone. We 

 lack thus a complete view of x\rborescent and 

 Frutescent forms all over the Earth, and their 

 natural groups. 



A very common distinction, but not always 

 accurate is their division into Trees, Palms, 

 Shrubs, Under Shrubs, Thorns, Bushes and 

 Vines. Except Palms all the others are unna- 

 tural blending forms of woody Vegetables. The 

 Cactcs or Cactoid forms, the Smilax or Shrub' 



