department of botany. 107 



Department of Botany. 



I. — Arrangement and Conservation. 



During the past year 24,050 specimens have been incorporated 

 with the Herbarium. This number includes 17,200 Flowering 

 Plants, 2,637 Vascular Cryptogams, 2,035 Mosses, 222 Hepatics, 

 495 Lichens, 378 Alg^, and 1,083 Fungi. 



Flowering Plants. — Additions acquired during the year by donation, 

 purchase and exchange have been mounted and incorporated. Pro- 

 gress has been made with the determination, selection and incorpora- 

 tion o£ the early Australian collections, and outstanding specimens 

 have been determined and incorporated in various families, especially 

 Melastomaceae, Onagraceae, Loasacese, Turneraceae, and Rosacese. 



Work of revision and re-arrangement has been done in various 

 families and genera, especially the genera Acaena. and B,uhus 

 which have been revised and arranged in accordance with recent 

 monographs. A large accumulation of unnamed fruits and seeds 

 has been identified and incorporated and the first half of the fruit 

 collection has been re-arranged. 



The separation and re-arrangement in the new gallery of the 

 European specimens has been completed. 



Ferns and Mosses. — The selection and incorporation of outstand- 

 ing collections of Ferns and Fern-Allies have been continued, and the 

 incorporation of various collections of Indian, Chinese, and Central 

 American Mosses has been completed. 



Alga;. — The sorting of the Merrifield herbarium has been com- 

 pleted and the George Herbarium of British Algae has been largely 

 determined and arranged preparatory to incorporation. Progress 

 has been made with the incorporation of outstanding material. 



Fungi and Lichens. — In the general collection outstanding 

 material of Sphaeropsideae has been incorporated and in part that of 

 Hyphomycetes ; the arrangement of the Polyporaceae has been 

 revised. Progress has been made with the revision and incorpora- 

 tion of the British Lichens. 



Mycetozoa. — Various new collections have been prepared for 

 incorporation, as before with the assistance of Miss G. Lister. 



Exhibition Series. — In the Public Gallery the general exhibition 

 of Algae has been re-arranged and progress has been made with the 

 exhibition of British Seaweeds. Work of revision has been done 

 generally and numerous additions have been made. In the Index 

 Museum in the Central Hall progress has been made with the 

 preparation of the exhibition illustrating the lower Cellular plants 

 (Thallophytes). 



