V. 

 BOTANY. 1 



By R. Allen Rolfe, A.L.S., 

 Assistant in the Herbarium of the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



(Plates X.-XIV.) 



The localities of the plants collected by the late Mr. 

 F. Oates are variously indicated in his notes as follows :— 

 i. Between Pietermaritzburg and the Crocodile River ; 2. 

 Crocodile River ; and 3. Matabele Land. As the plants 

 from the last-named belong to the Tropical African Flora, 

 and those from the two former to the extra-tropical, or 

 Cape Flora, a brief outline of the principal geographical 

 divisions of the Flora of Continental Africa and their 

 relations to that of the districts visited by Mr. Oates may 

 be of interest. 



1 [The plants collected by Mr. Oates in South- East Africa were originally 

 named at Kew under the direction of Professor Oliver, F.R.S., for the first 

 edition of this work ; two of the novelties, Anthericum Oatesii and Adiantu?n 

 Oatesii, having been described by Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R. S., and illustrated by 

 Mr. Fitch. During the period which has since elapsed an extended knowledge 

 of the vegetation of this region has been acquired through the additional collec- 

 tions which have been made there ; and it was accordingly felt that, with the 

 aid of these, some further determinations of the specimens in Mr. Oates's 

 collection might be made, and some of the doubtful determinations verified. 

 Under these circumstances Mr. R. A. Rolfe, A.L.S., has kindly undertaken a 

 complete revision of the plants, and the accompanying report has been drawn 

 up by him. Eleven new species are here described for the first time, three of 

 which are figured by Mr. Fitch. A few other plants in the collection are also 

 apparently new, but in these instances the material is unfortunately not 

 sufficient for their full description or determination. In each of these cases, 

 however, Mr. Rolfe has briefly indicated what is known of the plant in question, 

 and shown wherein the description fails in its completeness. Wherever altera- 

 tions have been made in the nomenclature of the first edition, a reference to 

 the latter has been given to enable the student with the two editions before 

 him to identify with certainty the plants named in each of them. — Ed.] 



