DEPARTMENT OP BOTANY. 167 



Department of Botany. 



During the past year 17,300 plants, consisting of 11,400 

 flowering plants, 190 vascular cryptogams, 796 Mosses, 624 

 Hepatics, 81 Lichens, 835 Algae, and 3,374 Fungi, have been 

 mounted and incorporated into the Herbarium. 



Id the progress of the work the officers of the Department 

 and others have been occupied as follows : — 



Mr. E. G. Baker was engaged principally in incorporating 

 Umbelliferse and Rosacese with the general collection. In 

 conjunction with Dr. Schonland, of the Albany Museum, 

 Grahamstown, a careful revision was made of the South 

 African species of the genus Cotyledon. To enable certain 

 types in this genus to be studied the loan of specimens was 

 obtained from Prof. Perceval Wright, of Dublin, and Prof. 

 Vines, of Oxford. The results of this examination are to be 

 published. In conjunction with Major Prain, of the Calcutta 

 Gardens, a revision was made of the types of the older species 

 of the genus Indigofera, principally with a view to the eluci- 

 dation of the synonymy of the indigo-yielding species. The 

 Herbarium specimens of the Natural Order Loasacese have 

 been revised and re-arranged by Dr. Urban and Gilg's 

 Monograph. The African Anonacese have been re-arranged by 

 Dr. Engler and Diel's Monograph. The genus Byrsonima has 

 been re-^rranged by Dr. Niedenzu's Monograph. The North 

 American Umbelliferse were revised by Messrs. Coulter and 

 Rose's last Monograph. The British species of Violet of the 

 Section Melanium have been further studied, and various 

 collections of these plants have been submitted for identifi- 

 cation. During the latter part of the year a considerable 

 time was spent in incorporating British Plants with the 

 Herbarium. The above, together with the usual attendance 

 on visitors and correspondence, have constituted Mr. Baker's 

 duties for the year. 



Mr. Britten has chiefly been occupied in continuing the 

 preparation of the manuscript to accompany the Illustrations 

 of Australian Plants collected during Cook's First Voyage, 

 and with the examination of the plants in the Herbarium 

 associated with the early Australian collections. He has 

 continued to supervise the preparation of the Departmental 

 Library Catalogue, and to read the proofs of the botanical 

 portion of the Catalogue of the General Library. He has 

 prepared for incorporation in the Herbarium the various 

 collections of Indian Rubiacese, and has revised the African 

 Labiatse ; and has incorporated a large number of specimens 

 of the orders Myrsinacese, Apocynese, Asclepiadacese, Eri- 

 caceae, Stylidese.Boragineae and Goodenovise. He has also 

 completed the identification of Masson's Madeira collections. 



