-#b The Liberian Flora 



basis of the list, in order to render it really useful for scientific 

 purposes ; hence the addition of the collector's numbers wherever 

 there were any attached to the specimens. I have already stated 

 that the bulk of the collections is in the Kew Herbarium. These 

 I have consulted in every case, and the specimens included in them 

 are in the usual way marked with a " ! " The rest were taken up 

 on the authority of other writers. 



As a dry list of names, localities, and collector's numbers, 

 however important for the expert student, would be of limited use 

 in the field for the explorer, who is generally not a professional 

 botanist, I have attempted to add notes on the general aspect of 

 the plants, the arrangement, si/e and colour of the flowers, and the 

 character of the fruits, such as might help one to recognise at least 

 some of the species and assist the memory. For this end I had, 

 of course, to avoid technical terms as far as possible. Finally, 

 I have carefully gathered what information there was on the 

 economic value of the plants. Unfortunately it is still very meagre. 

 It would also have been desirable to add a list of vernacular names, 

 but we know practically next to nothing about them. 



In bringing together on this plan all the information accessible 

 to me about the flora of Liberia, I was led by the hope that it 

 would act as a stimulus in the direction of the further exploration 

 of a flora which is, no doubt, extremely rich and interesting 

 and contains much of great economic and scientific value. It 

 will, I believe, afford some help to the man in the field, not only 

 in the amount of positive information, which I trust he will subject 

 to a careful scrutiny, but also in so far as it reveals to him the 

 gaps in our knowledge which he may have an opportunity of 

 filling in. 



The species which have so far not been found outside Liberia 

 are marked with an asterisk. 



DILLENIACE.^ 



Tetracera potatoria, Afz. {syn. T. obtusata, PlancJi. ex Oliv) : a 

 more or less hairy shrub (sometimes climbing) or tree with firm 

 dull green scabrous conspicuously nerved leaves, panicles of 

 white very fugacious flowers up to ^ in. in diameter, prominently 

 striate follicles (3 — 4 in each fruit) and seeds with yellow arils; 



573 



