VI. PREFACE. 



Moreover: the present author, now longer engaged than any other 

 American botanist in the very serious consideration of certain questions 

 in botanical nomenclature, is more and more convinced that uniformity 

 will never come but by closer conformity to the law of priority. He 

 has therefore introduced into this volume not a few names of genera 

 that are much older than those current in familiar books. There 

 is therefore much that is new for the bibliographer and the nomenclator 

 within these pages. This feature wilt not in the least affect the useful- 

 ness of the Manual as a book for beginners; for to these it is as easy to 

 call the California Horse-chestnut HIPPOCASTANUM CALIFORNICUM as 

 JEsculus Calif ornica. The inconvenience will be realized only by the 

 experienced botanist, who is habituated to the use of other names. To 

 these, however, the way is clear. No botanist will be obliged to adopt the 

 nomenclature of the Manual of Bay-Region Botany. The author is 

 convinced, however, that the day is coming, and at a fair rate of speed, 

 when the employing generic names which Linnaeus substituted for older 

 ones of Micheli, Tournefort, Lobel or of Gesner, instead of such as have 

 right of real priority, will no longer be thought of by those who name 

 priority as a leading principle in plant nomenclature. 



As to the completeness of the volume as an authentic list of the higher 

 plants growing spontaneously within the limits specified in the title, it 

 may be said that we included all the species which, at the time of writing, 

 were known to us as occurring within this range. But vast areas within 

 these counties have never yet been explored at all botanically; and the 

 actual number of plant forms belonging to this aggregate of counties 

 must be considerably greater than what these pages show. We invite 

 all students, and others who may use the book as a field companion in 

 this district, to make record of all additions to this list, and kindly 

 report them to the author, that future editions of the Manual may be 

 rendered more complete. 



EDWARD L. GREENE. 

 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, 24 January, 1894. 



