24 INTRODUCTION. 



50 on the upper zones of Lebanon. These mountains are channeled 

 into deep valleys, some with a general east and west trend, and others 

 north and south, each having a different exposure, an arrangement 

 eminently favorable to the growth of a great variety of species. The 

 air, from which so much moisture has been precipitated, passes over to 

 the parallel chains, which abstract from it a large part of its remaining 

 moisture. The rainfall of the second range is probably not more than 

 half that of the first, while that of the eastern plateau is still less, 

 probably not more than 10 to 12 inches. As a natural result of this 

 physical conformation, the flora of the maritime watershed of the coast 

 range differs considerably from that of its much steeper eastern decli- 

 vities, and still more from that of the inland range, which again differs 

 strikingly from that of the eastern plateau. The deep chasm of the 

 Jordan and the Dead Sea, with its tropical climate, adds to the variety 

 and numbers of species. The deserts, although useless for agriculture, 

 have a large and most interesting flora, differing almost totally from 

 that of all ,the other regions. Finally the very considerable difference 

 of latitude, nearly ten degrees to less than two of longitude, has its 

 full share in enriching the number and diversity of forms. As a result 

 of these conditions the district covered by our Work contains 126 

 Orders of phsenogams and acrogens, 850 genera, and about 3500 species. 

 The significance of these figures will appear if we recall that our region 

 is only about as large as England, or as the State of New York. 



The author owes it to himself to say that this "Work has been pre- 

 pared under unusual difliculties. He was compelled to collect and 

 arrange the Herbarium on which it is founded. The many thousand 

 species, and scores of thousands of specimens, have been studied and 

 arranged by himself. He has had access to few books of reference, 

 especially of the more costly, illustrated works on Oriental plants. 

 His studies have been pursued in the scant leisure of a life devoted to 

 pursuits in no way germain to Botany. Numerous perilous and costly 

 journeys, undertaken for the purpose of collecting plants, and studying 

 them in their habitats, have absorbed the brief vacations of busy years. 

 His work has been often interrupted by intervals of months, and more 

 than once of one to two years. The task of drawing most of the 

 illustrations, and superintending the execution of the wood cuts, has 

 fallen on him. The printing, which has been achieved in spite of the 

 limited typographical resources of the Mission Press, has been a labor 

 of no trifling magnitude. He trusts that an indulgent public will pass 

 a lenient judgment on imperfections, of which no one is more 

 conscious than himself. He cannot close without acknowledging the 

 assistance of the late Messrs. Boissier of Geneva and Blanche of Syria, 

 and of Messrs. Barbet and Autran of Geneva, and Baker of Kew, 

 in the determination of doubtful plants, and especially in the diagnosis 

 of new species. He is also greatly indebted to Mrs. Shepard of Ain- 

 tab, and Rev. H. E. Fox, M.A., of London, for valuable collections of 

 plants of Syria and Palestine, and to Professors Porter and Day, of 

 Beirflt, the genial companions, who have shared with him the fatigues 

 and perils of his later journeys, and aided his studies by their advice 

 and criticism. 



