vi PREFACE. 



there is no difficulty on this head, for so many plants 

 are pretty uniformly dispersed over our limited area, that 

 nearly every Type-species is within reach throughout our 

 islands. But in India the case is very different. Few 

 easily recognisable species have a sufficiently general 

 distribution, or, if thev have, it often happens that some 

 exceptional peculiarity of structure unfits them for service 

 as typical examples of any group. One consequence of 

 this difficulty is, that I have been obliged to use, in some 

 cases, garden plants which are widely cultivated in India, 

 although not actually indigenous there, in preference to 

 native species. For example, in the large Order Com- 

 positae I have preferred the Mexican Zintiia^ so generally 

 grown in Indian gardens, to any native species; and 

 the Chinese Dejidrobium nobile to any Indian species of 

 the great Orchid Family. This latter is perhaps un- 

 fortunate. There are a few wild Indian Orchids with a 

 wide distribution, but they are either difficult of recognition 

 by those not accustomed to botanical pursuits, or unfitted 

 in some other way to serve my purpose. However, in 

 such cases as these I have nearly always introduced cuts, 

 drawn by Mr. Fitch, which I trust may partially substitute 

 the actual specimens, if these be not obtainable. 



In writing out this little work, I have been greatly 

 indebted to Dr. Hooker, and to the late Dr. T. Thomson, 



