~ 
280 
scape three feet in np m bearing a massive raceme of pe imenie 
flowers, each about four inches in diameter. he v of the 
entire plant was prepared from a figure in the dpa fr SOREN 
a coloured sketch by Mr. W. H. White. Rhododendron 
yunnanense, one of the numerous species from Western China, 
was sent to Kew by Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, in 1894. 
an ornamental plant and quite hardy. Lobelia intertexta, native 
of Central Africa, is "dr niod tothe common L. Erinus. Seeds 
were received from A. C. Whyte, Esq., F.L.S., recently Head of the 
ra y Mos 
Vilmorin & Co., which were collected in Eastern chase by the 
Abbé Farges. It is the wild “single” flowered state that is 
figured, and many persons will doubtless prefer it to its garden 
descendants. We must go back a century and a quarter ('Trew's 
sis ‘tus) to find a good coloured representation of the single China 
aster, 
Flora of Tropical Africa.—The circumstances under which the 
continuation of this work, commenced in 1868 by Professor Oliver, 
has been resumed at Kew, at the instance of the Marquess of 
Salisbury, have been detailed in the Kew Bulletin (1894, 
pp. 17-18). The publication of the si part of Vol. VII. was 
ks v urs on p. 24 of the present volum 
h ird and concluding part e deg ie been issued. It is 
accom anid by the following preface by the Director, under 
whose editorship the work is being prepared : 
* The * Flora of Tropical Africa’ has met with many vicissitudes. 
It was projected by Sir William Jackson Hooker as part of the 
series of Colonial kd Indian Floras to be produced at Kew which 
he initiated. The immediate mpi bp led the Government 
to sanction the undertaking w: y Dr. Livingstone on his 
return from the Zambesi Expedition 358-64) to which Dr. 
(afterwards Sir John) Kirk had been attached as naturalist. ae 
work having been offered to Dr. Kirk and declined by him 
entrusted in 1864 to Sir Joseph Hooker sat Fir gene Oliver 
jointly, and was to be completed in four volum 
“Sir Joseph Hooker succeeded to the Disedtoiehts of the 
Royal Gardens in 1865, and was in consequence obliged to 
resign the preparation of the Flora to Professor Oliver, although 
d ^ 
Oliver further obtained the assistance of other botani 
“Vol. I. appeared in 1868, Vol. II. in 1871, and Vol. "Cil. in 1877. 
It was soon evident that the work would exceed the limits at first 
cian dt to it. Not less than five additional volumes will be now 
required to enumerate completely and describe the known plants 
of Tropical Africa. 
* [n the preface to the first volume Professor Oliver states that for 
e Lih! demos region to which he gave the name Lower Guinea 
wholly dependent on the Angolan collections 
stade at ihe cost of vic Portuguese Government in 1853-61 by 
Dr. Frederick Welwitsc 
“This botanist, Pais Oliver adds, *has freely granted us 
the opportunity of inspecting his collections, which, in respect 
