143 THE LONDON FLORA. [^ay, 



these there are lists of Thanet plants ; also a list of plants grow- 

 ing about Wye^ near Ashford, in a recent work^ and a 'Flora of 

 Dover.' For Surrey there are the two ' Floras' of Reigate, Lux- 

 ford's and Brewer's; also a manuscript list by the late Mr. Sal- 

 mon and other Surrey botanists, etc. etc. 



On the botany of Middlesex, we have one of the very earliest 

 local Floras extant, viz. Blackstone's ' Catalogus Plantarum circa 

 Harefield nascentium ;' also the ' Flora of Harrow/ by a reverend 

 contributor to the ' Phytologist •/ and in the Editor's possession 

 there is a manuscript list of plants which grow spontaneously near 

 Hampstead. The Flora of Richard Warner, viz. ' Plantae Wood- 

 fordienses,' with T. F.Forster's additions, is as yet our only printed 

 authority for Essex plants, saving and excepting always the * Bo- 

 tanist's Guide' by Turner and Dillwyn, and its more recent name- 

 sake by H. C. Watson, Esq. 



In addition to all the above-named works, either in print or in 

 manuscript, there are the Opuscula of Johnson, the celebrated 

 editor of ' Gerarde's Herbal' and iiie facile pr'mceps (the prince) 

 of the local botanists of his time. The ' Phytologist,' both the 

 Old and the New Series, is a treasury of local botany all over 

 the kingdom, and especially in the metropolitan counties. The 

 ' Flora of Herts,' the lists of Sussex plants to be found in several 

 publications, will be laid under contribution where the informa- 

 tion they contain can be made available. These are the sources 

 from which this new 'London Flora' is to be compiled. ' , " 



Thirdly. The principle proposed for the arrangement or dis- 

 posal of all these materials will be, as far as circumstances will 

 admit, as loilows : — 



In the first place, all the plants usually called common, such as 

 the Annual Poa, the Shepherd's Purse, the Common Groundsel, 

 the Red Henbit, and other examples of species which occur every- 

 where, Avill appear in the catalogue without any special locality 

 being entered, but with the habitats (situations where they 

 usually grow). The rarer species (and a liberal construction will 

 be given to this term, rare or rather rare,) will have their parti- 

 cular locations precisely described. It is believed that the pub- 

 lication will be more useful, especially to such as are commencing 

 the study of botany, if the characters of the species, genera, and 

 orders be briefly but plainly exhibited ; and therefore the plan 

 adopted in the original ' London Flora' will be carried out in the 

 proposed work, as far as space will permit. 



