X 
PREFACE. 
to undertake the completion of the work, and this was rendered un¬ 
necessary by the fortunate arrangement with the New York Bot¬ 
anical Garden, by which Dr. Rydberg took our collection for naming, 
and undertook the preparation of the Flora for publication. With 
the facilities of the Garden and the cordial aid given by Dr. Britton 
and Dr. Rydberg, and the special knowledge of Rocky Mountain 
Botany of Dr. Rydberg, it became possible to make this include 
much more than our own collection, which had been the original idea. 
The unrivaled and almost exhaustive collections accessible to them, 
the completeness of the knowledge of Dr. Rydberg, have made this 
a much more extensive and consequently much more valuable work 
than was originally designed. It therefore includes the work of nearly 
all collectors from the earliest times, and may be considered an 
exhaustive list of the plants at present known in Colorado. The 
extent of the service may be recognized when it is stated that while 
our own collection numbered about 1,400 plants, this Flora includes 
2,912, a number greater than is known for any other State except 
California. The amount of work involved in its preparation, sup¬ 
plying keys to the genera and families, and the completeness of the 
work speak for themselves. 
Acknowledgment should also be gratefully given to the State 
Board of Agriculture, and especially to Hon. P. F. Sharp, President 
of the Board, without whose assistance, encouragement and financial 
aid it would not have been possible for the Station to consider the 
completion and publication of a work of such magnitude. At one 
time it was proposed to lessen the expense by issuing a part of the 
edition as a College bulletin at a fixed price, but the Board took the 
liberal view that the saving would not compensate for the other dis¬ 
advantages and that the generous friendliness of the State would jus¬ 
tify the special effort in putting this at the service of those needing 
it, and thus the Station is enabled to issue the Flora as one of its 
bulletin series. It is believed that the publication will be of use to 
all systematic botanists, to the schools of the State, to those inter¬ 
ested in the economic study of Colorado plants, as well as to all those 
interested in the fascinating Flora of the Plains and Mountains of 
Colorado. It is a necessary step in the systematic and economic 
study of our plants. 
The preparation of the copy, keys and index has all been assumed 
by Dr. Rydberg, and also the laborious task of reading the proof. 
In addition the proof has been read by Professor Paddock and by 
the undersigned, but in the latter case attention was directed prin¬ 
cipally to the places and elevations. 
L. G. Carpenter. 
