190 JOURNAL OF THE WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES VOL. 13, No. 9 
private subscriptions from individuals, and the Botanical Society of South 
Africa; by the Cape Town Government, and by a grant from the South 
African government, though considerable income is secured by the sale of 
wood and by products from the Gardens. 
The Gardens are situated on the side of Table Mountain. A large portion 
of it is relatively level, but at the back it slopes up to the top of the mountain, 
thus affording a great diversity of slope and elevation. The most interesting 
fact about the gardens is that their primary purpose is to bring together the 
native flora of South Africa, so far as possible, rather than to show a fine 
collection of exotic plants. Chief of note among the gardens is the Cycad 
amphitheatre, which contains probably the largest collection of these plants 
in the world. There were interesting collections of Stangeria and En- 
cephalartos. Additions to the cycads have been made from America and 
Australia. 
At another place nearby is the Aloe Garden or Kopje, represented by many 
genera and containing many of the more beautiful species from all over South 
Africa. Then there is the Bulb Garden, the Fern Dell, the Bolus Orchid 
Garden, and the Pelargonium and Protea collections. 
Mr. R. H. Comton, Director of the Gardens, is also Professor of Botany at 
the University of Cape Town. 
The Gardens at Lorenco Marques, in Mozambique, were also visited. 
This beautiful garden contains many of the finest of the East African plants 
as well as many exotics, and was developed largely by Thomas Honey and 
Senor Almeida. There is also a very attractive botanic garden at Pretoria, 
under the direction of the Botanical Department, of which Mr. I. B. Pole- 
Evans is the head. Here there was a specially interesting collection of 
xerophytic plants. 
162D MEETING 
The 162d meeting of the Botanical Society was held at the Cosmos Club 
at 8 p.m., November 7, 1922, with Dr. L. C. Corzert, newly elected president, 
in the chair and 84 persons present. Puintie Brrertey and Dr. A. G. 
JOHNSON were elected members. 
Under Brief Notes, Mr. P. L. Rickrr spoke of the proposed Mt. Hamilton 
Botanical Garden site, and suggested that a leaflet be prepared by the 
Botanical Society and the Wildflower Society and sent to members and others 
interested in the project. Dr. A. S. Hrrcucocxk was authorized to present the 
matter of the proposed National Botanic Garden to the Botanical Society of 
America at their Boston Meeting. 
Dr. A. $8. Hrrcucocx spoke of finding in the Island of Hainan and in 
Indo-China a rare grass, Chloris tenera, originally described as Cynodon tener 
Presl. The grass was said to have been collected by Haenke at Sorzogon on 
Luzon in the Philippines. Dr. E. D. Merrill, Director of the Philippine 
Bureau of Science, had thought that this species was erroneously credited to 
the Philippines, as it was not known to occur in the Islands; and that it was 
probably a native of America. The Melaspina Expedition, to which Haenke 
was attached, had visited the western coast of America from Chile to 
Alaska before going to the Philippines. The specimens now at Prague are 
labelled incompletely and in some cases the locality is erroneous or even 
lacking. Since Dr. Hitchcock’s visit to the Orient, Dr. Merrill has seen 
specimens of this species from near the type locality, thus confirming Haenke’s 
original statement. 
