1901,] D. Prain — The Asiatic specifift of Dalbergia. 39 



IV. — Novioioe Tiidicre XVJIf. llie Asiatic ftpprien of Dfilber^ia. — 



By D, Prain. 

 [Received 22ad April, 1901 ; Read June, 1901.] 



Tlie writer, at such intervals during the past four years as have 

 offered themselves in the routine of administrative duties, has given 

 attention to the species of the genus Dalhergia that occur in S.-E. Asia. 

 In the couise of this study he has received much assistance from many- 

 friends and has been in hopes of incorporating the results of his 

 investigation in a monograph of at least tlie Asiatic Species of this 

 genus, so interesting from an economic and so difficult from a taxonomic 

 point of view. Circumstances for the moment forbid the accomplish- 

 ment of this design. But while it is, at this time, impossible to 

 provide a monograph of the genus which shall be, at least formally, 

 complete, it is a pleasant duty to place at the disposal of members of 

 this Society and of those who have so kindly assisted the writer, 

 a compact review of the notes he has been able to make on collections 

 that have been lent him for study in Calcutta or that he has been able 

 to examine in Herbaria tiiat he has visited. These notes, as 

 embodied in this paper, take the form of a hand-list of the Asiatic 

 species of the genus, with a fairly complete bibliograpliy and a full 

 citation of distribution so far as the specimens in the Collections 

 examined by the v^rriter are concerned. Except in the case of very 

 well-known and obvious species the numbers of sheets, where numbers 

 are given, have been quoted. In spite tiierefore of its formal incom- 

 pleteness the list now prepared will probably be found useful, not only 

 by those who may consult tlie collections on which the list is based, 

 but by those who may be at work in Herbaria that have not yet been 

 accessible to the writer. A list like the present serves, moreover, 

 another purpose ; it fulfils tlie desirable object of, in the words of a 

 Russian proverb, " feeding the wolves and saving the sheep." 



The Herbaria examined by the writer on the spot have been those 

 of 1. Calcutta ; 2. Kew ; 3. British Museum ; 4. The type Herbarium 

 of Wallich; 5. the Herbarium of Linnaeus; 6. M. Drake del Castillo, 

 Paris ; 7. Peradeniya, Ceylon. The collections which have been 

 entrusted to him for examination at Calcutta are those of 8. Herb. 

 Saharanpur, lent by Mr. Duthie ; 9. Herb. DeCandolle, Geneva, lent 

 by Mr. DeCandolle, and JO. Herb. Boissier, Geneva, lent by Mr. 

 Barbey ; IJ. Herb. Beccari, Florence, lent by Sig. Beccari ; 12. Herb. 

 Paris, lent by M. Bureau ; 13. Herb. Leiden, lent by the late Prof. 

 Suringar ; 14. Herb. Berlin, lent by Prof. Engler ; 15. Herb. Buiteuzorg, 



