The growing demand among those who desire to study the 

 flora, of Philadelphia and vicinity, for a book of reference con- 

 taining a list of plants to be found within the districts accessible 

 to the local collector, and such further information in regard to 

 these, as a book of this kind should contain, suggested the ad- 

 visability of collecting and arranging in a systematic form such 

 data as were available for this purpose. 



The many valuable communications to the Philadelphia 

 Botanical Club and the observations of its members and others, 

 who have so industriously worked in this field, seemed to form 

 an excellent basis for a work of this kind. The summarizing 

 and arranging the results of the work done so far is here pre- 

 sented in the form of a permanent record — a handbook for the 

 Philadelphia botanist. 



The area reported upon is designated on the title-page, and is, 

 in the main, the range prescribed for the work of the Philadel- 

 phia Botanical Club. The counties included are the following: 



The arrangement adopted in Britten's Manual has been fol- 

 lowed. In connection with each species one at least, or per- 

 haps more, common names are given, if such exist. In many 

 cases a common name follows only the genus because the in- 

 dividual species are not sufficiently well distinguished by the 

 laymen either on account of the fact that they are rare or com- 



(3) 



