VI PREFACE. 



museums; and yet of which so little of the Natural History, and espe- 

 cially the Botany, has been systematically brought together. Under 

 these circumstances an exhaustive Flora would be a work of many 

 years and many volumes ; and it is as a hand-book to what is already 

 known, and a pioneer to more complete works, that the present is put 

 forward. 



For an account of the materials upon which it is founded, the reader 

 is referred te the Introductory Essay to the Flora Indica alluded to 

 above, which contains a history of Indian Botany up to 1855, together 

 w ith an essay o n the climates and physical features of India, and on its 

 divisions into Botanico-Geographical provinces. Since the date of its 

 publication, no great systematically arranged collections of Indian 

 plants, such as those of Wallich, Wight, Stocks, Strachey, and Win- 

 terbottom, &c. &c., have been added to these; though many very 

 valuable local collections have been made ; amongst which the Malac- 

 can Herbarium of the late Dr. Maingay, and the South Indian of 

 Ma,jor Beddome, present the most novelty and interest. Since that 

 period, too, the vast Herbaria of Grriffith and Falconer have been 

 made over to Kew by the late East Indian Government, and though 

 in a ruinous condition from damp and vermin, have been arranged and 

 distributed ; Wight's invaluable original Herbarium has been added to 

 that of Kew, by private gift from that veteran botanist, and its dupli- 

 cates also distributed from this establishment ; and Eottler's own Her- 

 barium has been transferred from the Museum of King's College, 

 London, and liberally presented to Kew by order of the Council of that 

 Institution. The value of these last two collections, as containing the 

 type specimens of plants described in so many old and modern works, 

 cannot be over-estimated. 



The plan approved by his Grace the Secretary of State for India, for 

 bringing out this Flora, viz., of associating with myself a number of 

 competent botanists, whose names will appear in the headings of the 

 pages they (wholly or in part) shall contribute, will, it is hoped, enable 

 me to bring it out with reasonable celerity; whilst the adoption of as 

 concise a style and phraseology* as is consistent with clearness, and the 



* In these matters my Flora of the British Islands has heen followed ; the style there 

 adopted haviilg been suggested by the requirements of the Professors of Botany in the 

 Scotch Universities, and approved by them, seemed to me to be equally applicable to a 

 more extended. 



