INTEODUCTION. 



[The following passages from the First Edition of the 

 ' Genera of Cape Plants,' are equally applicable to this. — 

 J. D. H.] 



I HATE been requested by many admirers of flowers to re- 

 commend some introductory work on Botany ; and it would 

 at first seem that I might have taken a much easier method of 

 satisfying their demands than by writing a book for the pur- 

 pose. So many exc^ellent introductions to Botany have been 

 published, that I could not have done better than to place 

 them in a row before inquirers, to choose from. And this I 

 should have done, had an Introduction to Botany been all that 

 was wanting. But I soon found, on cross-questioning, that 

 something very different was required. One lady told me that 

 she knew already what " calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistils, and 

 all that" meant ; and another had penetrated the mystery of 

 Monandria, Diandria, etc., and did not want to be told that 

 over again ; what they desired was, a book in which they could 

 discover the names of every plant that struck their fancy in 

 rambling through the fields — in short, a Floea Capensis. 



Here I found myself completely at fault, for there seemed 

 little use in recommending the Flora of Thunberg, or the 

 more ancient writings of BuEMAi^isr, for even could they be 

 procured — which would not be without much difiiculty — they 

 would ]ia^ e proved perfectly useless to my lady friends, who, 

 not being blue-stockings, could have derived little instruction 

 from the crabbed Latin in which they are written. 



Being desirous, however, to aftord every assistance in my 

 power to these would-be votaries of my favourite study, the 



