PREFACE. 



Since the publication in 1871 of my first Catalogue of the Plants under 

 cultivation in the Garden, the collection, by the constant introduction 

 of new plants, mostly procured by exchange with kindred institutions, 

 has been increased, exclusive of florists' flowers, from 6,000 to 8,500 

 species. 



The rapid increase necessitated a new edition of the Catalogue. In 

 the new issue, instead of the former alphabetical arrangement, I have 

 adopted the natural arrangement, which brings together all the plants 

 that are nearest related to each other and have a similarity, enabling the 

 student of botany, particularly in this Colony, to become soon acquainted 

 with them. 



To facilitate to non-botanists the finding of a particular plant, an 

 index of the orders and genera has been attached; also the list of 

 English names of the plants, where such exist. This will be useful, 

 particularly to those amateurs who know the English names and may be 

 desirous of becoming acquainted with the botanical ones. 



I have added again the abbreviations of the names of the botanic 

 authorities annexed to the genera and species of the plants, which would 

 be unintelligible to a great many persons in the Colony if the full names 

 of the authors were not given. 



For the foreign recipients of this Catalogue, I think it is not with- 

 ^yt interest if I preface it with a brief description of our climate, its 

 extremes, the difficulty we have to contend with in regard to acclima- 

 tizing introduced plants, especially those from tropical, frigid, or Alpine 

 zones (as their well-doing depends entirely upon the climate), and the 

 plants from other parts of the globe which will become accustomed to 

 our climate, and those which will not thrive outdoors. 



Our summer season includes the month^ of December, January, and 

 JPebruary, when the temperature on the plains frequently exceeds 100° 

 in the shade, and 130° to 140° in the sun. In 1876 the thermometer 

 registered in December 114° 2' in the shade, and 162° 6' in the sun. 

 This degree of heat has only been exceeded on two former occasions, 

 viz., in 1865, when the thermometer registered, on the 9th January, 

 116° 3', and the 14th January, 1862, when the reading was 115° in the 

 shade and 165° in the sun. Such a temperature produces very injurious 



