THE PHILIPPINE 
Journal of Science 
C. Botany 
Vol. X MAY, 1915 No. 3 
THE PRESENT STATUS OF BOTANICAL EXPLORATION OF 
THE PHILIPPINES 
By E. D. Merrill 1 
( From the Botanical Section of the Biological Laboratory, 
Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 
ONE MAP 
The Philippine Archipelago presents a wonderfully rich flora, 
although one which at the present time is very imperfectly 
known in spite of the great amount of work that has been 
accomplished in the past thirteen years. Just how much re- 
mains to be done is perhaps fully realized only by those botanists 
most closely in touch with the situation. While the Archipelago 
is probably better known botanically than any other single part 
of the Malayan region, with the exception of Java, Singapore, 
Penang, and perhaps some parts of the Malay Peninsula, the 
very fact that current collections continue to present a high 
percentage of new forms is conclusive evidence that our present 
knowledge of the flora is very imperfect. In general, botanists 
working in temperate regions have very little conception of 
the immense richness of a tropical flora like that of the Ma- 
layan region. Many years of intensive botanical exploration 
are necessary before the flora of any single island, other than 
very small ones, can be thoroughly known. Compared with 
the greater part of the Malayan Archipelago, the flora of the 
Philippines is decidedly well known, and many of the islands, 
comparatively speaking, are well explored. Java is the only 
large island in the entire Malayan region of which the flora 
1 Associate professor of botany, University of the Philippines. 
132966 159 
