EXPLORATION OF ADEN. 
13 
rt Without repeated examinations of the East Indian Herbarium and of 
the Arabian, Abyssinian, and Egyptian collections of Sieber, Delile, 
Aucher Eloy, Schimper, and other travellers, in all of which the Kew 
Herbarium is peculiarly rich, the work could not have been accom- 
plished 
Before proceeding to the purely descriptive part of his paper, Ander- 
son found it desirable to notice the physical aspect and climate of Aden 
and to point out a few of the peculiarities of its flora. He then stated 
some facts with regard to the geographical distribution of the species 
and, finally, instituted a comparison of the Aden flora with those of 
Hong-Kong, Ischia, and Gibraltar. His general observations on the 
flora of Aden and especially on its relations to the vegetation of other 
parts of the old world, were certainly excellent at the time when they 
were published ; but the more accurate botanical knowledge of the flora 
of Aden and the countries in question have, in several cases, superseded 
Anderson's views. 
It is to be regretted that the notes as to the locality of the single 
species are generally very vague and that Anderson too often contented 
himself with the statement that the plant was found at Aden. Besides, 
flowering and fruiting seasons are never mentioned. We do not wish 
to blame him for these omissions, for in this he was only following the 
custom generally adopted amongst the botanists of his time. What 
Hookey and Thomson complained of, when publishing the first volume 
of their Flora Indica, was only too true: “ We have long deplored the 
defective geographical nomenclature adopted in almost every work treat- 
ing of the Natural History of India, and the fact that f E Ind.' or Tnd. 
Or.' is considered in most cases sufficiently definite information as to the 
native place of any production found between Ceylon and Tibet, or 
Cabul and Singapore." 1 We must, however, not forget that ecological 
and biological problems were still in their infancy 50 years ago. 
Krause mentions the fact that a few plants, enumerated by Anderson, 
have never since been observed at Aden, in spite of the circumstance 
that travellers of a later date, notably Defiers, were especially anxious to 
find them again. As an explanation Krause suggests the possibility that 
Anderson, considering the little definite notes on the locality of the 
plants, included in his Florula various plants which had not been collec- 
ted on the peninsula itself, but in the more distant neighbourhood of 
Aden. 2 We cannot accept this solution. The locality " noted on the 
sheets of the Herbarium at Kew are in many cases more accurate than 
that given in the Florula, and does not allow any ambiguity. W'e 
1 Hooker, J. D. and Thomson, T.: Flora Indica. Introductory Essay (1855), p. 2. 
2 Krause, K. : Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Flora von Aden. 1905, p. 7. 
