PLAN OF THE FLORA. 
TuE following pages are devoted to the Flowering Plants and Ferns of 
Oxfordshire, and that portion of Berkshire which is contiguous to and 
included in the Thames Valley. The plants are arranged according to the 
Natural System, the nomenclature and arrangement being essentially 
that adopted by Nyman in his Conspectus of the European Flora, to 
which, however, slavish adherence has not been kept, nor must that 
author’s idea of species be held in all cases to coincide with English views. 
‘When Nyman’s name of a plant differs from that adopted in Hooker’s 
Student’s Flora, 3rd edit., or Babington’s Manual, the names given in 
those works are usually quoted as synonyms, 
No description of the plants enumerated is given since the two excellent 
floras above quoted and Boswell Syme’s English Botany render this 
quite unnecessary, but should the plant exhibit any local peculiarity, such 
will be noticed, as well as any point to which it seems well to draw 
special attention. 
The Natural Orders and Genera are printed in large and bold capitals, 
the names of the species in Egyptian type. When the plant possesses an 
English, and especially a local name, it follows the Latin one, but mere 
translations of the scientific names are purposely avoided. Under these 
names come the synonyms alluded to above, printed in italics. Then 
come references to Topographical Botany, ed. ii., to English Botany and 
Nyman’s Conspectus. The plates of English Botany are quoted, and also 
those of Baxter’s Phenogamous Botany, many of the latter being pre- 
sumably drawn from local plants. For the Characez, Messrs. Groves’ 
monograph is also employed. 
The next paragraph contains, first, the grade of citizenship of the plant 
in the county, i.e. native, denizen, alien, etc.; second, its habitat, i.e. 
hedgerows, meadows, etc.: this refers to the Oxfordshire (not to the 
British) stations ; third, the time of flowering, which again has only local 
reference. 
Under these comes the first record as an Oxford plant, with name of 
the recorder, the date, and the name under which it was recorded. The 
record may be a printed or written one, published or unpublished ; it may 
be a dried specimen, or from a MS. entry in a book, etc. Although 
extreme pains have been taken to ensure the earliest record being quoted, 
it is possible that subsequent research may in « few instances discover 
some that are earlier. 
