VII.— Contributions to a Flora of Borneo. 
—By Henry N. Ridley, F.R.S. 
(RaNUNCULACE^ TO ANONACEiE.) 
In several numbers of the * Journal of the Straits Branch 
of the Royal Asiatic Society ’ and elsewhere I have from 
time to time published lists of plants belonging to certain 
orders occurring in Borneo ; such have been the Orchids , 
Avoids , and Scitaminece of this country. I hope to continue 
this work as occasion may permit, as I believe it will prove 
useful to those who are engaged in the study of botany in 
that island. 
Considering the great size of Borneo, and the interesting 
character of its flora, it is surprising how few are the 
collections that have been made therein, and how little it 
has been botanically explored. The regions which have 
been most carefully investigated are all under the rule 
of the British, and even in Dutch territory, the largest 
part of the island, English collectors have played a 
prominent part. In Sarawak the most valuable collec¬ 
tions have been made by Dr. Haviland and Dr. Beccari. 
We have also plants obtained there by Charles Hose, 
Bishop Hose, Messrs. Hewitt, Moulton, C. J. Brooks, 
Shelford, Hullett, Bartlett, and myself. The flora of this 
region is therefore better known than any other. In 
British North Borneo Governor Creagh obtained a good 
series of plants, now at Kew, and Fraser also obtained 
many specimens ; while the big mountain Kinabalu has 
been explored by Haviland, Lowe, and Miss Gibbs; Bur- 
bidge also collected a good many plants on his expedition 
for Messrs. Yeitch. Labuan was visited in its early days 
by Barber and Motley, before the disastrous fire destroyed 
so much of its flora. Of the remainder of the island we 
only know the flora of the south-east round Martapura and 
Banjermasin, collected by Korthals and Motley, and of the 
west the small collections made about Pontianak by Teys- 
mann. The great area of Central Dutch Borneo is only 
known from the plants collected by Jaheri in the Niessi- 
venkins expedition. The collections of nearly all these 
botanists, excepting the last, are partly or fully preserved 
Sar. Mus, Journ., No. 3, 1913. E 2 
