INTRODUCTION. 5 



Necker, Rumphius and Rheede. with a host ol' 

 similar worthy authors, are neglected and omit- 

 ted or not properly fixed. 



In doing this, I shall again adopt the desul- 

 tory order of arrangement, with alphabetical 

 Index, and for the reasons often stated, that I 

 cannot stoop to follow the erroneous sexual sys- 

 tem, nor the imperfect serial method of any 

 modern Author. A perfect serial order is yet 

 a desideratum in Botany, none has hit upon it, 

 nor begun it by the Rose as I did. I have given 

 my own view of this Serial Order in first part 

 of Flora Telluriaua, and altho' apparently the 

 best or least imperfect, if I was to follow it 

 here, I might certainly be as much blamed as I 

 may be for my Desultory Order ; which is how- 

 ever that of Hooker and Lindley in their perio- 

 dical publications, that of Lamark, Poiret, with 

 many other writers, and the Centuries of Bivona 

 and ten others. 



Altho' we have several works on Fruit trees, 

 Forest Trees, Ornamental Shrubs, of some Re- 

 gions, no work has ever been attempted upon 

 all those of our Globe; and altho' usually intro- 

 duced in general works, yet they appear there 

 drowned and blended with the whole of vegeta- 

 tion : while they hold such a rank by size and 

 importance, as to deserve to stand alone. We 

 lack thus a complete view of Arborescent and 

 Frutescent forms all over the Earth, and their 

 natural groups. 



A very common distinction, but not always 

 accurate is their division into Trees, Palms, 

 Shrubs, Under Shrubs, Thorns, Bushes and 

 Vines. Except Palms all the others are unna- 

 tural blending forms of woody Vegetables. The 

 Cactes or Cactoid forms, the Smilax or Shrub- 



