244 
The Philippine Journal of Science 
1916 
flora progressed, it became increasingly evident that, in order to 
establish a stable basis of nomenclature for numerous Philippine 
species, a botanical exploration of Amboina was urgently needed. 
Plans for this proposed work were prepared in the latter part 
of 1912 and the early part of 1913, and the actual work of the 
botanical exploration of Amboina was assigned to the late Dr. 
C. B. Robinson, at that time assistant botanist in the Bureau 
of Science. Doctor Robinson left Manila on June 17, 1913, 
and proceeded to Amboina via Buitenzorg, Java. He arrived 
in Amboina July 15, 1913, and actively prosecuted his field 
work there until the day of his untimely death, December 5, 1913. 
On this day, while on a botanical trip, unaccompanied, he was 
murdered by some Boetonese men who had established a small 
settlement between Aerlo and Seri, about fifteen kilometers from 
the town of Amboina. An investigation of the case by the local 
authorities has definitely shown that Doctor Robinson’s death was 
wholly due to a local superstition. 4 
During the time that Doctor Robinson was in Amboina, and 
including a few species that he secured, enroute, at Boeleleng, 
Bali ; Baoe-baoe, Beoteon ; and Macassar, Celebes, he collected ap- 
proximately 1,750 numbers of plants, most of the numbers being 
represented by abundant duplicate material. The collections 
were approximately arranged in two groups by Doctor Robinson, 
during his stay in Amboina; first, those that could definitely or 
fairly definitely be referred to species described by Rumphius; 
and, second, those species that were not described by Rumphius. 
Of the first group there are approximately 600 numbers, and 
these have been arranged in a special series, Plantae Rumphianae 
Amboinenses, and will be distributed with special labels giving 
both the modern binomial and the Rumphian name and reference 
for each species. This material has been utilized in the prepara- 
tion of a special report in an attempt to interpret the species 
described in the Herbarium Amboinense, now practically com- 
pleted. The material arranged in the second group, Reliquiae 
Robinsonianae, that is, those species not described by Rumphius, 
is the basis of the present paper. 
As the work in Amboina was originally planned, it was our 
intention that Doctor Robinson should remain in the field for a 
period of about five months. As the work progressed, it became 
evident to him that he could not hope to solve any where near all 
the problems presented by the identification of the Rumphian 
* Merrill, E. D. Charles Budd Robinson, Jr. Philip. Journ. Sci. 9 (1914) 
Bob. 191-197. 
