10 ANNALS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. 
of Singapore, Pangkore and Penang, and to the Nicobar and Andaman groups. This is 
the geographic area covered in the later. volumes of Sir Joseph Hooker’s Flora of British 
India; and it may, in the broad sense, be considered for botanical (though not for 
political) purposes as British India, as distinguished from Dulch or Netherlands India which 
consists of the Malayan Archipelago. The majority of the species indigenous to the 
British Indian area have already been dealt with by Sir Joseph Hooker and the late 
Dr. T. Thomson in that splendid fragment their Flora Indica (published in 1855), and 
still more recently by Sir Joseph Hooker in the first volume of his Flora of British India. 
It is with no idea of improving upon the work of these distinguished authors that I 
liave re-described the same species in the following pages; but chiefly in order that 
the species which have been discovered since the order was dealt with by them may 
be described, and that the relations of the new to the older species may be under- 
stood.. From the general arrangement foilowed in the Flora of British India I have 
deviated in the present Monograph only in three particulars: (1) I have substituted, 
as suggested by M. Baillon, the name Canangium for the Cananza of Rumphius; (2) 
I have accepted the genus Grifithia, which was originally proposed (but never published) 
by Maingay for the plant named Polyalthia magnolieflora in the Flora of British 
India ; and (3) I have restored the. genus Sagerea, Dalz., which in the Flora of British 
India is reduced to Bocagea. » 
The Malayan Peninsula remains even now but partially explored, and there can be 
no doubt that its complete examination must bring to light many new Anonacee. In 
this fact there exists, therefore, a powerful reason against the present publication. 
On the: other hand, the. liberality of the Government of Bengal makes .it possible ‘at 
the present time for an account of this difficult family, not only to be printed, but 
also to be most fully illustrated by. figures. Moreover, no’ one can tell when the 
mountain range which forms the backbone of the Peninsula may be explored, and 
the collection of a complete set of herbarium material may still be very aia For 
these two reasons I am therefore content to incur the charge of having published 
the present Monograph prematurely... - a og s | 
_ As the family is not an easy one even for experts in systematic botany, I have 
given a figure of each species. These figures have been drawn. from. the sOranletOR 
materials at my command, and mostly by the Bengali artists attached to the. Herbarium 
of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. Some species, of which good specimens do not 
exist in the Calcutta collection, have been figured by Miss M. Smith, from specimens 
contained either in the Herbarium at Kew, or in the Wallichian Herbarium in -possession 
of the Linnwan Society of London. The figures of almost the whole of the species 
peculiar to Ceylon have been copied from original drawings made in the Herbarium of the 
Royal Botanic Garden at Peradeniya, which were in the most kind and liberal wa 
put at my disposal by my excellent friend Dr. Henry Trimen, F.R.S., Director of fe 
institution. - For many of .the. illustrations of the species peculiar to Western India 
I am-indebted to the kind permission of Colonel R. H. Beddome F.LS. to cop Bie 
figures of his Flora Sylvatica and Icones Plantarum. For the loan of bpeciiere in ane 
tion with the present work I have to return my warmest thanks to Dr Trimen and 
also to Mr. Ridley, F.L.S., Director of the Botanie Garden, Singa hee - to Me. T 
Curtis, of the Botanic Garden and Forest Department, Penang ; i Mr, a Wray J ee 
Director of the Museum at Laroot; to Dr. Lawson, F.L.S., Director of the Botanical 
