N'cCAL 



PREFACE. 



In the year 1(S88 there was issued from the Colonial Herbarium' 

 which was then in its infancy, a small pamphlet entitled "An Analytical 

 Key to the Natural Orders and Genera of Natal Indigenous Plants " ; 

 this work which it must be admitted was very defective, was, however, 

 found useful, but is now quite oiit of date. In 1894 there was issued 

 from the same Institution a "Preliminary Catalogue of Indigenous 

 Natal Plants" which contained the names of the plants only, with an 

 indication of the altitudes above the sea level at which they had been 

 observed, but without any other information about them ; the present 

 work is an attempt to combine the two previous attempts with such 

 additions and corrections as longer experience and fuller information 

 from outside sources has shown to be necessary. The " Preliminary 

 Catalogue" included 131, (by mistake 129) Orders, 828 genera, 221 f> 

 species and 391 varieties or unnamed species. Since the publication of 

 that List numerous names have been added, partly by the collection 

 of specimens which included species not previously known to us 

 to be natives of Natal, but chiefly by the continuation of the Flora 

 Capensis, of which work, one complete Volume and six Parts of 

 other volumes have been issued, in all of which are enumerated species 

 not known to us, and some not included in our collection. The present 

 List includes 133 Orders, 907 genera, 3447 species and 83 varieties, or 

 plants not known to us to be specifically named. A number of the 

 names have also been obtained from foreign publications which have 

 come into our possession by exchange or otherwise, and it is thought 

 that the list is now fairly complete, but any additional names which 

 may come to our notice wiU appear in the Annual Reports of the 

 Director of the Botanic Gardens and Herbariimi. 



The Keys to Orders and genera have been completely revised, and it 

 is hoped that they may be found to be useful, while the Key of the large 

 Order Graminea? is abridged from that given in the Flora Capensis by 

 omitting all genera and species which are not known to be indigenous 

 or introduced into Natal. It has been found impracticable at present 

 to write keys to the species ; a large number of them are not in our 

 collection, and of many of them we have not even a description, but 

 any specimens sent to us will be examined and the names in most, if 

 not in all cases wiU be supplied ; printed directions for preparing and 

 sending specimens will be sent on application, together with printed 

 direction labels which will pass them free by post or rail. 



In large genera such as Indigofera, Senecio and others it would 

 have been an advantage to have arranged the species in the Sections to 

 whicli they belong, but even this, for reasons given above has not been 

 found to be feasible. In using the Keys it must be remembered that 



