250 



REPORT OF DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, BRITISH MUSEUM, 



FOR 1887. 



By W. Cakruthers, F.E.S. 



- 



During the past year 60,753 specimens have been mounted, 

 named, and inserted in their places in the Herbarium ; of these 

 16,353 were Phanerogams, and 44,400 were Cryptogams. The 

 Phanerogams have consisted chiefly of specimens collected in 

 Austria by Kerner, in Madras by Gamble, in Malaya by Beccari, in 

 Australia by Baron von Mueller, and the Kev. T. S. Lea, in North 

 America by Orcutt, and in Columbia by Lehmann ; and the Cryp- 

 togams of Ferns collected in Perak by Scortechini, Mosses from the 

 herbaria of Roemer, Shuttleworth, Spruce, and Schimper, aud 

 Algse from Ceylon, the Red Sea, the Cape of Good Hope, and 

 Guadeloupe. The valuable Herbarium of Fungi bequeathed by the 

 late C. E. Broome has been completely re-mounted, arranged, and 

 made fully accessible to students. The various collections of Dia- 

 tomacea have been systematically arranged. 



In the progress of incorporating the additions, the following 



.Natural Orders have been more or less completely arranged : — 



Anonarea, Mmispermacea, Berber idea, Xymphceacea, Cucurbitacea , 



Umbellijrrat, Andiacea, Cornacea, Primidacea, Xi/ctayinete, Phytolae- 



cacea, Podostemacea, Thymelceacea, Loranthace®, Santalacea, Euphor- 



owcsa, brticacece, Oupuli/era, Cycadacece, Orchidacece, Palmm, and 

 r ilices. 



The most important addition to the collections during the past 

 year was the Herbarium of the late Dr. Hance, of Whampoa, 

 Ghina, consisting of 22,437 species of plants. The Museum has in 

 tins secured an extensive series of plants from various districts in 

 Uuna, as well as the types of all the plants which Dr. Hance had 

 Imnseli discovered and described. Already this collection has been 

 ol great service in connection with the ' Flora of China,' now being 

 issued by a Committee of the Royal Society of London. 



John \V. Miers, Esq., has presented the large collection of 

 *erns, chiefly rich in South- American forms, that belonged to his 

 late lather, John Miers, F.R.S., &c. The Herbarium of flowering 

 plants had already, by bequest on the decease of Mr. Miers, become 

 tlie property of the Trustees, and by this valuable donation the 

 who e o the plant collections of Mr. Miers has been acquired 

 by the Department. 



A valuable selection of the Alg® of Guadeloupe, consisting of 

 loo.) specimens, have been acquired from M. Maze, representing the 



species described in Maze and Schramm's ' Algues de la Guade- 

 loupe. 



The additions to the collections by presentation during the year 

 have consisted of 511 species of Italian plants from H. Groves, 

 J&sq., t .L.S. ; a collection of Scandinavian Roses from G. 

 Ijicnolson, Esq. ; a set of the plants of the Afghan Boundary 



Ar X f\ e n?n' collected and presented by J. E. T. Aitchison, Esq., 

 m.l>. ; 747 species of Indian plants from J. S. Gamble, Esq., F.L.S- ; 



