Ferns of South Africa. 
!9 
Thunberg’s “ Flora Capensis,” 1823, contains only the same 
ferns as his previous “Prodromus,” but in 1825, Prof, de Schlech- 
tendal began to issue his “ Adumbrationes Plantarum,” the first 
volume of which was on Cape ferns, and, though unfinished, it is 
the most important work ever issued on South African ferns. In 
its unfinished state it contains excellent figures of 30 species, and 
descriptions of 70 species of ferns and fern allies, almost all good 
species, still maintained, though in some cases under different 
names. 
1823 saw the arrival of C. F. Ecklon, and K. L. P. Zeyher, 
while in 1826, J. F. Drege arrived. All three collected plants for 
sale, and from their collections, the whole flora of South Africa as 
far as Natal and Transvaal may be said to have been made known, 
while, at the same time, Burke travelled in the Transvaal, and 
Gueinzius made a most complete collection of the ferns of Natal. 
Prof. Presl’s “Tentamen Pteridographiae ” (1836), brought the 
knowledge of ferns generally, well up to date, and Kunze, in the 
same year reviewed the ferns of South Africa in “ Linnaea,”* after 
having examined the collections of all these more recent collectors. 
He made out 33 genera, and hi species, many of which were 
new, but have since been sunk as varieties only. Subsequent 
numbers of “Linnaea” contain Kunze’s further investigations, 
especially 1844, and some African species are figured by Kunze 
in “ Die Farrnkraeuter in Colorirten Abbildungen ” (Leipzic, 1840). 
Harvey in his “Genera of South African Plants,” 1838, 
describes 31 genera, but does not definitely indicate the number 
of species. 
Sir Wm. Hooker’s “ Genera Filicum” (1838), and his “Species 
Filicum” (1846-64), considerably altered the nomenclature, but 
were not followed by Pappe and Rawson, whose “ Synopsis 
Filicum Africae Australis,” 1858, is the latest work in which 
descriptions are given of all the South African ferns then known, 
as a united group. Kunze’s nomenclature and descriptions are 
very closely followed, and, though many new species were de- 
scribed, only a few of them have been upheld by the more recent 
* Plantarum acotyledonearum Africae Australioris recensio nova, I Filices, Linnaea, 1836. 
