X INTEODUCTION 



tall grasses, whicli form the Savannahs of Burma and the Subhimalayan tract. 

 I have not been able to mention that most remarkable Marantaceoiis soft- 

 wooded shrub of the Andamans, Clinogyne grandis^ Benth., the stems tufted, 

 16 ft. high, with broad elliptic leaves and conspicuous scented white flowers. 

 Very few of the numerous important exotic species cultivated in India have 

 been mentioned. Several of my younger friends have urged me to describe a 

 much larger number of introduced and cultivated kinds. This has been im- 

 possible/ As it is, in spite of my efforts at shortening and condensingj the 

 book has become inconveniently bulky. 



In a few cases I have found it necessary to establish new species ; as a ru.le 

 I have left the task of naming new species to professional systematic botanists, 

 a>nd have contented myself with briefly indicating the chai-acter by which a 

 species believed by me to be new differs from others; adding a reliable 

 vernacular name whenever possible. 



Regarding the limitation of species there will always be different opinions. 

 My idea is, and always has been, that as long as the matter has not been fully 

 studied in the field, it is better to leave old-established species alone and not 

 to split them up. When writing my old Forest Flora I had to decide 

 w^hether I should separate the Himalayan and softly tomentose Rhub 

 vehttmaj Wall., from the glabrous R, Cotinus^ of the Mediterranean 

 region. I decided to leave both under Rhibs Cotlmcs, and my decision 

 in this and in other similar cases has been accepted by the authors 

 of the Flora of British India and by other botanists. Tor similar 

 reasons I am unable to agree with Lt. -Colon el Prain in his excellent paper 

 on Leguminosm {Joitrn. As, Soc. Bengal^ LXVI. 514) in separating the 

 Himalayan Albizzia mollis from A. Julihrisslny which I regard as a widely 

 spread species, extending from the mountains of Abyssinia to Japan ; or with 

 the same author in dividing Flemlngla stroMlifera into 4 species. Mez in his 

 valuable monograph of Myrsinacece classifies the Indian forms of the ver}' 

 variable Mmsa indica under 7 species. I think it quite possible that other 

 botanists may partially adopt his views, but may be content with a smaller 

 number separated by characters not exactly the same as those selected by 

 Mez, the result of which will be numerous synonyms and possible confusion. 

 Hence in this book Mcesa indica appears as one species. 



For foresters this multiplication of species goes too far, but I trust I may 

 not be misunderstood. Quercus sesslllfloi^a and Q. pedunculata are two 

 clearly distinct species, differing not only by their leaves and other characters, 

 but what is of much greater importance, by their mode of growth and by their 

 requirements in regard to soil and companionship of other trees. Forests of 

 these two species require different treatment, and yet they are united under 

 Quercus Robur by Parlatore (D. 0, Prodromu^s^ XVI. 2. 4) by Sir Joseph 

 Hooker in his Students^ Flora, ed. IV, 367, and by Professor Marshall Ward 

 in his Handbook of Forest Botany, II. 213. 



It is not possible to arrive at a final decision whether a form should be 

 classed as a species or a variety. The fact that it comes true from seed does 

 not settle the matter. In Burma good varieties of the Mango come true fi'om 

 seed, in India seedlings have to be grafted or inarched in order to produce 

 good edible Mangoes. Sir Joseph Hooker regards the three Cedars as varieties 

 only of (7. Libani, though they come true from seed. To a great extent it is 

 a matter of convenience whether we speak of species or of varieties, and the 

 question ought not to be invested with undue importance, G-uided by this 

 consideration, that the question is not one of real importance, I have followed 

 the Flora of British India in calling the Indian Oleander Nerium odorwn, 

 though, as explained on p. 462, I hold that N, Oleander, N. muscatense and 

 N, odorum are local forms of one species, which extends from the Mediterranean 

 region to China. In any case the forester will do well to take species in a 

 wide sense, until it has been proved that they differ in regard to their mode 

 of growth, their requirements and the treatment which they demand. 



