FLORA OF THE SUNDRIBUNS. 
— « — 
By D, Prain. 
• 
I.-^OTRODIJCTIO]¥. 
The investigation of the flora of the Sundribuns has occupied the 
attention of the officers in charge of the Royal Botanic Garden since 
1796, when Dr, Roxburgh,* * * § through his friends Dr. William Carey of 
Serampur and Dr. Buchanan-Hamilton,t received from this region a 
number of very interesting plants. The assiduity and success with 
which the investigation of the Sundribuns was conducted by Roxburgh' 
may be gathered from an examination of the Hortus Bengalensis 
published in 1814; one finds there recorded from the Sundribuns seve- 
ral species, such as Flemingia congesta^ Mezoneuron cucullatum. 
Bvuguiera parviflora^ Art hr ocnemumindicumy Salicarniahrachiatay 
Dendrobium Pierardi^ Pteris vittata^ that have not been collected 
in the area since his day. The indiscriminate liberality with which 
the specimens collected during the first half-century of the garden's 
history were distributed by Dr. WallichJ has deprived the Calcutta col- 
lection of Roxburgh's specimens, so that all of the species enumerated 
have to be looked for anew in order that Roxburgh’s records may be 
confirmed. Wallich does not himself appear to have given particular 
attention to the Sundribun flora though among the Wallichian speci- 
mens are examples of an interesting plant§ obtained by him from 
this area in 1817 that no one has found there again. Dr. Griffith, who 
* Superintendent, 1793 — 1814. 
t Superintendent, 1814 — i 8 i 5 . 
j Superintendent, 1817 — 1845. 
§ Hibiscus tortuosus Wall, {not H. tortuosus Roxb., which is only H. tiliae>eu& 
Linn.), of which original examples are present in the Calcutta Herbarium j there 
are also living plants, introduced by Wallich, in cultivation still in the Calcutta 
Garden. 
• Rec, Bor. SuRv. Ind., ii 4. 
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