INTRODUCTION. 
[The following passages from the First Edition of the 
‘Genera of Cape Plants,’ are equally applicable to this.— 
vo. H.| 
I wave been requested by many admirers of flowers to re- 
commend some introductory work on Botany; and it would 
at first seem that I might have taken a much easier method of 
satisfying their demands than by writing a book for the pur- 
pose. So many excellent introductions to Botany have been 
published, that I could not have done better than to place 
them in a row before inquirers, to choose from. And this I 
should have done, had an Introduction to Botany been all that 
was wanting. But I soon found, on cross-questioning, that 
something very different was required. One lady told me that 
she knew already what “ calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistils, and 
all that” meant; and another had penetrated the mystery of 
Monandria, Diandria, ete., and did not want to be told that 
over again ; what they desired was, a book in which they could 
discover the names of every plant that struck their fancy in 
rambling through the fields—in short, a Frora Capensis. 
Here I found myself completely at fault, for there seemed 
little use in recommending the Flora of TuunpeEre, or the 
more ancient writings of Burmann, for even could they be 
procured—which would not be without much difficulty—they 
would have proved perfectly useless to my lady friends, who, 
not being blue-stockings, could have derived little instruction 
from the crabbed Latin in which they are written. 
Being desirous, however, to afford every assistance in my 
power to these would-be votaries of my favourite study, the 
at 
