PREFACE. xxiii 
to enumerate here; Linnzus, Vahl, Willdenow, Lamarck, and many 
others, might be mentioned; these are only quoted when they have 
bestowed a new appellation, whether upon a new species or an old one. 
One very scarce work we regret we had no opportunity of consulting 
while engaged with the Byttneriacee, we mean Schott and Endlicher's 
Meletemata Botanica; but most of the new genera there proposed may 
be classed among what St Hilaire calls transitory ones. In all instances 
where we have seen and examined carefully an authentic specimen, either 
in the author's own herbarium, or had a corresponding one before us 
when we were describing the plant, we have affixed to the name of the 
author a point of admiration (!), the symbol adopted by De Candolle to 
denote what we have just explained. 
It may perhaps be objected that we have not given native names ; 
these we have intentionally omitted, partly for the reasons stated, and 
in aecordance with the observations made by Dr Wallich at page 99 of 
the 2d volume of his edition of the Flora Indica. “ I avail myself of 
this opportunity for remarking, that the names which are given to plants 
by the natives of Nepaul are in general very uncertain and fluctuating ; 
and that I shall only make use of them on occasions when I have reason. 
to be tolerably satisfied as to their correctness.” The soundness of which 
is further proved by a remark of Dr Carey, at p. 415 of the same vo- 
lume, in a note on the word Munko-khoshee. * The name here given 
as a Newar name, is, in the extract of Dr Buchanan’s letter, written 
Munko khoshee, and is one out of hundreds which might easily be pro- 
duced, of the mistakes which constantly occur when persons unaequaint- 
ed, in some measure at least, with the languages, set down words from 
the mouth of natives. Dr Buchanan spoke only Hindoosthanee, and a 
Newar man gave him, as a reply to a question Munko khoshee, a Hin- 
doosthanee word, which means pleasure or delight to the mind. This 
might be the Hindoosthanee word by which the tree is designated by — 
the Nipalese, but it is much more probable the man only intended to — 
say it was a delightful tree. The above mentioned circumstance, and ——— 
likewise the great number of native names of plants, seemingly obtained —— — — 
with the utmost ease by other gentlemen who have merely run through 
a eountry as collectors, (which however was not the case with Dr Bu- 
chanan), added to the difficulty I have myself found in obtaining 
names, and the uncertainty of those commonly obtained, fully dispose 
me to coincide with the suggestion of my friend Wallich in his note at 
the foot of page 99.” The supposed native names given to De Can- 
dolle and Jussieu by Leschenault, along with the specimens collected by 
him in the southern parts of the Peninsula, corroborate strongly the opi- 
nion of Dr Carey: they are in general a mere burlesque on names, 
meaning often that the natives had no name for the plant, or did not 
