CONTRIBUTION TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF PAPUAN FLORA. O 



A Contribution to our Knowledge of the 

 Flora of Papua (British New Guinea). 



By C. T. White, F.L.S. (Government Botanist of Queensland.) 



{Scientific Portion of Presidential Address delivered before the 

 Royal Society of Queensland, 11th April, 1922.) 



INTRODUCTORY. 



In Jiine 1918 I received an invitation from His Excellency 

 Judge Murray, Lieutenant-Governor of Papua, to visit the 

 Territory for the purpose of studying its vegetation, of which 

 comparatively little is kno"WTi. The invitation came at a time 

 when six weeks' leave of absence was due to me from the 

 Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock. Pressure 

 of other matters prevented me from spending much more than 

 my official leave on the visit, and only between five and six 

 weeks' actual collecting was spent in the field. About 800 

 species of vascular plants were gathered ; the majority of the 

 material has now been worked out and the results are here set 

 forth. 



The references to literature are confined to such as refer 

 to the occurrence of the particular species in the territory of 

 Papua (British New Guinea). Some of the families have 

 been sent to various specialists for examination, and to these 

 botanists I must express my special thanks. To Dr. Rendle, 

 Keeper of Botany, British Museum of Natural History, [ am 

 indebted for arranging for Mr. Spencer Le M. Moore, B.Sc, 

 F.L.S., to work out the Acanthaceae and Rubiacese ; also for 

 handing over to Mr. H. N. Ridley, late Director of Botanic 

 Gardens, Singapore, the specimens of Musacese, Zingiberaceae, 

 and Marantacese. To Mr. J. H. Maiden, Director of Botanic 

 Gardens, Sydney, I am indebted for the identification of the 

 eucalypts, and for arranging for the working out of the ferns 

 by^Mr. Whitelegge and the Loranthacese by Mr. Blakely. 



I have taken the opportunity of recording a few plants 

 for Papua from specimens in the Queensland Herbarium, that 

 had been Ijdng there undetermined for some years. There 

 still remains more doubtful material in the Queensland Her- 

 barium, and I hope to Avork these specimens out later along 

 with my own undetermined material. 



R.S. — B. 



