sheets of South African plants, for the most part authentically named, is available 

 to the student who has so far advanced as to make it of use to him. There is a 

 grand field in Natal for the botanical student ; the plants of the colony are not by 

 any means fully known ; species new to science, many of great interest, structurally 

 and in their distribution are to be found even in the most accessible parts, while 

 the remoter districts are rich with new or interesting plants ; and to those who 

 look more to points of economic value than to those of scientific interest, there is 

 a large field ; for it is eminently desirable that the native names and uses of plants 

 should be placed on record before it is too late, and workers who know little of, 

 and do not care to learn systematic botany may do good service by collecting, drying, 

 and sending to the Colonial Herbarium, plants used by the natives for medicinal or 

 other purposes. Should this publication induce anyone to help in the work, printed 

 instructions for collecting and drying the specimens will be forwarded, specimens 

 named, and advice given by either of us, and the Colonial Herbarium, with its 

 library, is open to those who are far enough advanced to wish to classify their 

 collections themselves. 



The study of plants is a most fascinating one, and is within the reach of all ; 

 the material lies at our doors, and particularly for those who live in remote isolated 

 districts, will change days of weariness and discontent, to days of intellectual 

 pleasure, and the delight of constantly increasing in knowledge, and increasing the 

 sum of it for the benefit of their fellow colonists. As an introduction we should 

 have liked to have given a sketch of the Flora of Natal, its geographical distri- 

 bution and affinities, but the material at our command is not sufficient. When 

 more general interest is evinced in the subject, and workers are more plentiful, it 

 may be done, but meantime, what we want is more detailed knowledge. We trust 

 that the first part of our work may meet with a good reception, but whether or 

 not, we propose to publish a similar part also containing 50 plates, which, together 

 with the present one will form a volume, and will be furnished with an index to 

 the whole, so that they may be bound together. Beyond this we cannot promise 

 to go without a fair amount of support from the public, but should such support be 

 given we trust to further continue it, as the field, at all events, will take long to 

 exhaust. When contemplating this work we approached the Government asking 

 their countenance and support, and we have to thank them most heartily for both 

 freely given. In any case should profit accrue, it will go to the funds of the 

 Colonial Herbarium, but the liberality of our Government has prevented the chance 

 of any serious financial loss to us. We would wish also to gratefully acknowledge 

 the very valuable assistance we have received from the Herbarium at Kew Gardens, 

 in the absence of which, publication of such a work in the colony would hardly be 

 possible; large numbers of specimens have been compared and named for us 

 during many years past, and advantage has been taken of the descriptions of some 

 of the plants here figured, in the pages of the Kew Bulletin, Flora Capensis, and 

 Journal of Botany. 



We also have to thank Miss F. Lauth, Assistant in the Government Herbarium, 



the drawings signed with her initials, and also Mr. Walter Haygarth for the 



tbm appearing in this part, Both have undertaken this work in addition to 



r various duties, the latter entirely in his limited leisure time. Both have 



n great pains to be accurate, and we can vouch for it that they have succeeded 



Tly well Of the artistic > value of the plates we leave others to judge, but 



say that figures of Natal plants drawn in the one case by a {fatal born 



' " * * Wh 



prmted and publi8hed 1D 



