Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker. 



xxix 



3rd Edition of the ' Imperial Gazetteer/ " A Sketch of the Flora of British 

 India." While he found little occasion to modify what he had written forty 

 years earlier, he was able to summarise the results of the Flora. The number 

 of species of flowering plants actually described " approaches 17,000." In 1855 

 Hooker had concluded (' Intr. Ess./ p. 91) that " Orcliiclece appear to form a 

 larger proportion of the flora of India that of any equally extensive country." 

 This was verified, the number of species being some 1300, and with few 

 exceptions these are peculiar to it. Previous conjecture had regarded 

 Zeguminosce and Graminece as relatively deficient, but they proved to be the 

 next largest elements in the flora. As regards the former this is not surprising, 

 as in most large areas it is dominant. Composite, the largest of all orders of 

 flowering plants, fill a subordinate place, as in most tropical countries. In 

 1905 Hooker furnished the descriptions to the plates of a " Century of Indian 

 Orchids," in the ' Annals of the Eoyal Botanic Garden, Calcutta.' 



In 1885, the last year of his directorship, he summarised, in the 

 30th Edition of the ' Official Guide to the Eoyal Botanic Gardens and 

 Arboretum/ the work done under his superintendence since 1870, on 

 replanting the Arboretum, and incidentally gave an admirable and critical 

 account of the most important and interesting elements of the collection. 

 In 1902 the number of hardy trees and shrubs enumerated in the 

 2nd Edition of the ' Hand-list of Trees and Shrubs (excluding Coniferre) ' 

 amounted to about 4500. Hooker had contemplated the preparation of a 

 catalogue of the Kew Pinetum. He drew up an introduction which, after 

 revision by himself, was prefixed to the ' Hand-list of Coniferse ' in 1896. 



In 1886 he worked out, in a paper contributed s to the Linnean Society, 

 the material of species of Castilloa, which had been obtained for the purpose 

 of more accurately determining the source of Central American rubber. 



In 1887 he revised the 5th Edition of Bentham's classical ' Handbook 

 of the British Flora.' (He did the same with subsequent editions up to the 

 8th, in 1906.) Darwin tried its use and was " charmed with it " (L.L., voL 2, 

 p. 132). There can be no better book for those who begin the study of 

 British plants, and no better introduction to the principles of their 

 classification. Hooker's own ' Student's Flora ' is better suited to those who 

 are more advanced. 



From 1886 to 1897, as has been seen, Hooker was continuously occupied 

 with the three remaining volumes of the ' Flora of British India/ with such 

 assistance as the Kew staff could give him in the preliminary arrangement 

 of material. It was not to be expected that the period could be prolific in 

 other ways. But he managed to devote an immense amount of time and 

 labour, which it might have been wished he could have spared himself, to 

 another task which in some degree he felt affection imposed upon him. 

 Shortly before his death Darwin had expressed a wish, by aiding " in some 

 way the scientific work carried on " at Kew, to show " his gratitude for the 

 invaluable aid which for so many years he received from its Directors and 

 its staff" (L.L., vol. 3, p. 352). The result of Darwin's munificence was the 



