;v 



LIBRARY 

 NEW YUKK 

 BOTANIi .? 



PREFACE a ** ! 



During his residence in Jamaica for twenty-one years as 

 Director of Public Gardens and Plantations, Mr. William 

 Fawcett gave attention to the botanical exploration of the 

 Island. He was specially interested in the Orchids, and, with 

 the assistance of Mr. William Harris, Superintendent of the 

 Gardens and an excellent collector, a very fine collection 

 illustrating the family was got together. A beautiful series of 

 drawings from the living plants was also made under Mr. 

 Fawcett's direction by Miss Helen Wood. During one of 

 Mr. Fawcett's visits to England we agreed to collaborate in a 

 monograph of the Jamaican Orchids, and in 1904 an account 

 of the genus Lepantlies was published in the Transactions of 

 the Linnean Society. The work, however, proceeded slowlv 

 until 1908, when Mr. Pawcett retired and came to England. 

 The permission of the Trustees having been obtained for the 

 publication of the work as a British Museum Catalogue, Mr. 

 Fawcett was fortunately able to devote himself to the task, and 

 I have given what time I could spare in the intervals of other 

 work. Though Mr. Fawcett has done the larger part of the 

 work of preparation, we have both been carefully through each 

 species. Our work has been greatly facilitated by the loan 

 of the Jamaican Herbarium, for which we are much indebted 

 to the Government of Jamaica. 



As Mr. Fawcett is able to continue his work at the 

 Museum, it is proposed that the present volume shall form the 

 first part of a complete " Flora of Jamaica." 



A. B. RENDLE. 



Departmext of Botaxy, 



Beitish Museum (Natural History), 



Cromwell Road, Loxdox, S.W. 



October, 1910. 



