14 



RUMPHIUS'S HERBARIUM AMBOINENSE 



over 1,660; and the number of plates, about 695, give but an 

 inadequate idea of the immense amount of data contained 

 in this work. Rumphius described in greater or less detail and 

 named about 1,700 forms. His descriptions, while sometimes 

 scarcely more than casual mention, are more often very ample, 

 and to these are often appended discussions of the economic uses 

 of the various plants described. Few works on Indo-Malayan 

 botany, published since the Herbarium Amboinense was written, 

 can compare with it in amount and variety of original data. 

 When it is fully realized that practically all of the immense 

 mass of data included in the Herbarium Amboinense represents 

 the observations and accumulated knowledge of one man, the 

 great energy and ability displayed by Rumphius in preparing this 

 monumental work, which was accomplished under very adverse 

 circumstances, can be more fully appreciated. 



The work is immensely more than a discussion of the plants 

 of Amboina. While it is true that most of the descriptions and 

 the greater part of the figures were based on Amboina specimens, 

 copious references are found to other regions, extending from 

 Madagascar to China and Japan, southeast to New Guinea, and 

 even to Mexico and South America. It is very evident that 

 Rumphius's colleagues and correspondents transmitted material 

 to him from the whole Orient, and he incorporated his descrip- 

 tions of this material in the Herbarium Amboinense. 



Among Doctor Robinson's papers were found the following 

 compiled data, which will give some definite idea of the regions 

 covered by the work. The most important references to Java 

 comprise 125 entries; to Celebes, 83; to Ceram, 77; to Bali, 74; 

 to Banda, 53; to Buru, 42; to the Moluccas proper, including 

 Ternate, Tidore, Batchian, and Halmaheira or Gilolo, 58; to the 

 Philippines, 20; to Boeton, 12; to Borneo, 8; to Sumatra, 8; 

 to Madura, 4; to Manipa, 15; to the Sumbawa-Timor group, 

 including Sumbawa, Timor, Nussa Radja, Solor, Wetter, and 

 Rottea, 23 ; to the Aru Islands, 6 ; to the Key Islands, 3 ; to New 

 Guinea, 4; to the Sula Islands, 8; and to the small islands near 

 Amboina, 8. There are numerous references to China, but fewer 

 to Japan, Indo-China, Malacca, Madagascar, southern Africa, 

 Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. A number of the species figured and 

 supplied with ample descriptions were based on this extra- 

 Amboina material, although others are only casually mentioned. 

 It is at once evident that by no means all the Rumphian species 

 can be interpreted from Amboina material and data alone. 



