208 Transactions of the South African PJiilosophical Society. 



name indicates doubt as to the correctness of the name given, though 

 the species quoted is beheved to be distinct from any other in the 

 catalogue. A ? before a name means that we are not satisfied that, 

 the species so marked has really ever been gathered within our limits,, 

 though we do not feel justified in rejecting it altogether ; these are 

 not numbered consecutively in their genera. 



After each species we give the habitat, the relative frequency, and 

 the months of flowering, followed, in the case of the less frequent 

 ones, by the stations in which they have been gathered, the stations 

 l)eing separated by semicolons. The localities quoted are those in 

 which one or other of us has seen the plant growing ; those of other 

 collectors we quote in inverted commas followed by the name of the 

 collector, and usually by the collector's number, at least in the case 

 of the rarer species. 



We have found great difficulty in correctly quoting the months of 

 flowering of many of the species. Not only do some vary greatly in 

 different parts of our area, but their time of appearance depends 

 much upon the season, and above all, on the effect of fires. Nor is 

 it easy to define with any degree of accuracy the relative frequency 

 of many of our species. This is liable to variation from the above - 

 quoted causes ; moreover, a considerable number have only hitherto 

 been found in more or less restricted areas, so that perhaps a freer 

 use of the expression " locally common " instead of " rare " or 

 " occasional " should have been made, and there is much difference 

 of opinion as to which are "frequent," ''occasional," or "rare" 

 species. 



We cannot conclude these remarks without thanking those 

 who have been of assistance to us in naming many critical plants. 

 Firstly, we would express our indebtedness to Sir W. T. Thiselton- 

 Dyer, K.C.M.G., Director of the Eoyal Gardens, Kew, who has 

 kindly permitted the assistance of several members of the staff of 

 the Kew Herbarium. Amongst these, Mr. N. E. Brown has been 

 indefatigable in bringing his special knowledge of South African 

 botany to bear on a very large number of our specimens. The 

 majority of the Orders Sckophulariace^, Eestionace^, Cyperace^, 

 Gramine^, and Charace^ have been seen and named by Mr. W. P. 

 Hiern, Dr. W. H. Masters, Mr. C. B. Clarke, Dr. O. Stapf, and 

 Messrs. H. and J. Groves respectively, without whose kind help, 

 willingly given, these critical genera would have been very inade- 

 quately set forth. Mr. E. A. Eolfe has also kindly examined most 

 of our Selaginace^. 



H. B. 

 A. H. W.-D. 



