vi PREFACE. 
I have followed the arrangement and style of de- 
scription adopted by Bentham in his Colonial Floras of 
Hong-Kong and Australia. I believe that his mode of 
treatment of the subject is the one best adapted for use 
in this country, not only for the public in general but 
equally so for the practical man. Those not versed in 
systematical work will always experience more or less 
difficulty in naming a plant from a book alone; for it is 
patient study and practice which alone can instil that 
tact in discriminating between essential and accidental 
characters which is indispensable in all systematic work. 
The analytical keys of the genera as well as of the species 
have therefore been worked out more carefully. These 
are more likely to exhibit the differences to the unini- 
tiated than descriptions, which serve more for final veri- 
fication and identification. 
Owing to the great number of species which had to 
be described, the work has run. to two volumes, instead 
of one volume only as originally intended. To have 
disposed of the shrubs and trees of minor importance 
by using some more or less happy descriptive phrase 
for, or by simply alluding to, them, appeared to me 
likely todo more harm than good. 
: The synonymy and citations in this work are restrict- 
ed to Indian Forest Literature (viz., Beddome’s Flora 
Sylvatica of Madras, and Brandis’ and Stewart’s Forest 
Flora of North-West and Central India), and to the 
Flora of British India edited by Sir J. D. Hooker 
(of which work only four parts have as yet been issued). 
Those interested in synonymy, or those who wish for 
more scientific Gate regarding the Burmese Flora, may 
SE a a aN a i 
ie ean k : is 
Oe Pee oe nee Se SS Seem REE Re Pence Pee 
