A REVIEW OF THE NEW SPECIES OF PLANTS PROPOSED 
BY N. L. BURMAN IN HIS FLORA INDICA 
By Elmer D. Merrill 
Director and Botanist, Bureau of Science, Manila 
Burman’s Flora Indica was published in 1768. 1 The ap- 
pended “Series zoophytorum Indiae Orientalis” occupies 2, and 
the “Flora Capensis Prodromus” 28 additional pages. The work 
is illustrated by 67 plates with 179 figures, the illustrations for 
the most part being excellent. The present review deals only 
with those species proposed as new in the Flora Indica. 
Burman’s Flora Indica is of distinct importance from a histo- 
rical standpoint owing to its early date of publication, as it is 
one of the first works other than those of Linnaeus himself, 
published under the Linnean system of classification and nomen- 
clature. 
It is apparent that most of the species proposed by Burman 
were based on actual specimens, although some of the binomials 
are manifestly based on descriptions and figures in various pre- 
Linriean works. In most cases where new binomials are pro- 
posed by Burman, the figures, the descriptive data from actual 
specimens, or the actual citations of specimens clearly indicate 
that Burman had specimens even when, as is frequently the 
case, he adds in his synonymy references to pre-Linnean works. 
It is hardly necessary to note that, as with Linnaeus, the pre- 
Linnean references are not always correctly placed. 
Burman was in close correspondence with Linnaeus, having 
visited Upsala in 1760, as noted by Jackson, 2 bringing with him 
his father’s large collection of Cape plants, and was afterwards 
a frequent correspondent. 3 Burman himself notes in the intro- 
duction to his Flora Indica that Linnaeus communicated to him 
his observations regarding various species. Duplicate specimens 
1 Burman, N. L. Flora Indica. | cui accedit | series zoophytorum indi- 
corum, | nec non | Prodromus | Florae Capensis. | IV + 1-242, t. 1-67, + 
indices 1-16, 1768. 
3 Jackson, B. D., Index to the Linnean Herbarium, Proc. Linn. Soc. (1912) 
Suppl. 22. 
3 Jackson, B. D., op. cit. 11. 
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