11 
revision for the Flora Malesiana. This work may take another four years. The 
first genus to be tackled was Gymnacranthera, but the lack of staff to share 
routine duties delayed progress. Some time was spent on the other genera in 
this family, especially annotating the sheets sent on loan and in separating the 
difficult and critical sheets from the simpler ones which are no longer required 
for study. As some of the herbaria wish their specimens to be returned 
quickly, it was thus necessary to spend time on a preliminary sorting out of 
the sheets available for only a limited time, and to examine them first. Some 
sheets, however, will have to be retained so that they can be compared with 
yet other sheets, mostly types or isotypes, from Florence, Paris and Kew 
which are not at hand at present. 
49. Mr. Chew Wee Lek began preliminary investigation into the 
Moraceae (Fig family) which he will continue at Cambridge while working 
for a higher degree. 
50. Routine herbarium work continued with drying, poisoning and 
mounting new specimens, repairing damaged sheets of old specimens, and 
identification of collections. Most of the material collected by officers of the 
Department during the year was determined, or, if it could be identified here, 
was sent to experts elsewhere. Acknowledgement is made of the help these 
persons have given. A very large quantity of unnamed specimens has been 
received from North Borneo, Sarawak, New Guinea and other countries for 
determination but little progress has been possible with the depleted botanical 
staff and those on duty diverted to administrative routine. A welcome develop¬ 
ment has been an increased interest shown by schools, teachers and pupils 
sending specimens for naming, some crushed and battered beyond recognition 
but the intention is good and it is hoped the Education Department will do all 
in its power to foster this interest. The more people there are with an active 
and intelligent appreciation of the flora (and fauna), the greater the need for 
effective nature conservation on a permanent basis. 
XVIII. LOANS OF HERBARIUM MATERIAL 
51. 4,174 sheets were sent on loan for study as against 4,525 in 1956. 
The majority went to Leiden and the principal families asked for were Conna- 
raceae, Cyperaceae, Lycopodiacecte and Rhizophoracece. These are for Flora 
Malesiana revisions. 
52. A total of 3,182 sheets of Myristicaceae (Nutmeg family) from 19 
different herbaria was sent on loan to the Keeper of the Herbarium in connec¬ 
tion with his study on that family for “Flora Malesiana”. Each sheet is being 
examined and labelled with the correct name as far as possible, or if there is 
difficulty, a provisional name is given. The Directors of those herbaria sending 
material here are thanked for their kind co-operation. In many cases their 
material has helped to solve difficult problems. These loans are not however 
entirely one sided for our own interest, as the lending institution benefits by 
receiving back their material correctly named according to current taxonomic 
ideas. 
