PREFACE 



* 



The following List of British Seed-plants and Ferns has been compiled by 

 Mr. Britten and myself in accordance with the International Rules of 

 Botanical Nomenclature adopted by the Botanical Congress at Vienna, 

 1905. These Rules insist on the adoption of the earliest specific name of a 

 plant, no matter under what genus it was first described. This has resulted in 

 a few alterations, as British botanists have generally used the specific name 

 first employed in the genus accepted. These alterations have been made 

 only after careful investigation of the literature of the subject. Comb. nov. is 

 affixed to new combinations. A detailed account of the more important 

 alterations will be found in the Journal of Botany for March, 1907. 



Throughout the List reference is made to the original description of 

 each species. This has necessitated an extensive consultation of botanical 

 literature, which would only be possible in a library such as that possessed 

 by the Department of Botany ; a few alterations in spelling (e.g., Teesdalea) 

 and some corrected citations have resulted from this investigation. 



Names of plants date from the first edition of Linnaeus' s Species Plant- 

 arum (1753). Adherence to priority is observed, except for certain genera 

 specially provided for by the Rules. 



The arrangement of Orders is that of Bentham's Handbook, which is 

 followed in the Public Gallery; for the limitation of genera and species we 

 have followed Messrs. Groves' s edition of Babington's Manual, as being 

 the most recent descriptive British Flora ; we have not included varieties. 

 We have adopted the nomenclature of the latter work except where this is 

 not in accordance with the Rules. The genera are numbered consecutively 

 throughout. 



For the convenience of botanists we have correlated the names 

 adopted in the three principal handbooks of the British Flora. These are 

 indicated by numbers as follows : 



I. Bentham's Handbook, ed. 6, 1892; 

 11. Hooker's Studenfs Flora, ed. 3, 1884 ; 

 in. Babington's Manual, ed. 9, 1904, in cases where the 

 name is not that adopted in the List. 



The List has been shortened by the exclusion of (1) Channel Island 

 plants, which have no claim to be considered as belonging to the British 

 Flora ; (2) critical forms of Rubus, Hieracium, Euphrasia, and Salix, for 

 which reference must be made to monographs ; (3) introduced plants 

 which have not become thoroughly established ; (4) plants formerly found 

 in Britain but now extinct. 



The names of plants which, although introduced, appear to be 

 naturalized, are printed in italics. 



At the end of the List will be found an arrangement of the Natural 

 Orders in conformity with recent views of affinity ; this is correlated with 

 the sequence adopted in" the List. 



A. B. RLNDLE. 



British Museum (Natural History). 



January^ 1 907. 



