viii Introductory. 



Walker from 1820 onwards (a few Southern Indian species are 

 also included) [pp. 38]. 



Tkw. Ernon. G. H. K. Thwaites, Enumeratio Plantarum Zeylaniae, 

 1858-64. A complete catalogue, with references and synonymy, 

 of all the known plants of the island arranged on the Natural 

 System, and with descriptions (in Latin) of the many new species 

 [pp. 483]. An extremely accurate and most valuable work ; from 

 which I rarely find it possible to differ materially. 



Trim. Cat. H. Trimen, a Systematic Catalogue of the Plants of 

 Ceylon, 1885 (in Journ. R. Asiatic Soc, Ceylon Branch, vol. ix.). A 

 list, corrected and completed up to date of publication, of all the 

 Ceylon species ; arranged according to the ' Genera Plantarum ' 

 [PP- 137]- 



The C.P. numbers. 



These are always quoted. They refer to the large series of dried 

 specimens of Ceylon Plants (4024 numbers in all) made up by Dr. 

 Thwaites from his own and his predecessors' collections, and widely dis- 

 tributed by him to herbariums and botanical museums throughout the 

 world. The herbarium at Peradeniya contains a very complete series, 

 and the numbers quoted are always those in that collection, which must 

 be regarded as the type-series.* 



3. A reference (also in small type) to the 'Flora of British 



India ' and to selected published Figures of the plant. 



Much additional information will be found in the ' Fl. B. Ind.' about 

 all such of our species as extend into any other of the countries included 

 in that work. In quoting figures preference is given to such as are 

 known to have been made from Ceylon specimens. 



4. The Description (in larger type). 



Whenever possible, this has been made from fresh living specimens ; 

 it is as brief as is consistent with completeness and with sufficiency for 

 accurate identification.t A list of the few abbreviations employed is 

 appended (B.). 



* Latterly, however, Thwaites suppressed many of his early numbers, 

 adopting a single one only for each species (as he considered it). Hence 

 several numbers do not now appear in Herb. Perad., being there sunk 

 under other ones. 



+ It may be well here to define the sense attached by me to certain 

 common terms which are rather variously employed in descriptive floras. 

 02/a/= equally tapering to either end and about twice as long as broad ; 

 /rt«f^o/a/^ — equally tapering to either end and about 3 times as long as 

 broad ; oblong -m.ox& or less parallel-sided. I do not employ the term 

 elliptic at all. 



