return from Cambridge. This work has a vital bearing on edible mushrooms 
and the possibility of establishing mushroom culture in Singapore and Malaya. 
At present there is a large import of ‘Shiitake’ (Lentinus adodes) from Japan, 
and this species is known to occur naturally at Cameron Highlands. 
The Director continued his study of marine algae, and has extended his 
collecting to Trentepohliaceae with a view to study at a later date. 
40. Two past members of the staff. Dr. Furtado and Mr. Sinclair have 
continued to work in the Herbarium in a voluntary capacity. Mr. Sinclair 
has followed his revision of Myristica , the text of which now lies with the 
Government Printer for issue in the Gardens’ Bulletin, with a start on the 
genus Horsfieldia . Dr. Furtado has carried out many surveys of sections of 
the herbarium holding checking for faulty determinations. He has taken 
under his direction the Colombo Plan Fellows on taxonomy awards. His 
authoritative knowledge of the rules of nomenclature and a literary fluency 
in Latin and many European languages are a great asset for this, and the 
Department is much indebted to him for his help and interest. 
41. Mr. Munir Ahmad, of the University of Sind, in Singapore since 
December 1963 on a Singapore Government Colombo Plan Fellowship, 
completed his work on the four genera of Verbenaceae. Revisions of Congea, 
Symphorema and Sphenodesme were finished during the year. These will be 
published in The Gardens’ Bulletin. 
HORTICULTURE 
XXIV. GARDENS MAINTENANCE 
42. The Gardens were well maintained throughout the year, and the 
duties of the nurserymen and specialist workers were satisfactorily carried out. 
The work of the ‘general gang’ was hampered, as reported in last year’s 
report, by having to undertake works previously outside its province. 
The labour force was increased by two, but this is inadequate to cope with 
present requirements. 
43. Specialist collections were maintained and were added to, especially 
the fem collection which was expanded by plants obtained by officers on 
field work. Several new bougainvillea varieties were added to the collection, 
and the bougainvilleas on Lawn L were supplied with iron frames, the wood 
frames being discarded. The bank between the main office and Office Ring 
Road which since the death of the Gardenia carinatq^tr&Q some six years ago 
has given difficulty in making attractive, was laid down to a turf of Zoysia 
japonica. Previous attempts to establish bushes of varieties of Mussaenda 
philippica on this slope were unsuccessful. Hedges, an essential feature of any 
form of gardening, have in the past five years been emphasised, and during 
1965 additional examples were planted near the office, using Bougainvillea 
sanderiana, Malpighia coccigera, Ehretia microphylla and Bixa orellana. 
11 
