PREFACE 
• - '• 
Fixed popular names for our better known endemic 
plants being so much desired, more particularly by its 
own members, the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, in 
August, 1907, appointed a Plant Names Committee for 
the purpose of selecting and adopting those considered 
most suitable. Later, this purpose was increased so as to 
include all the plants of the Victorian flora and the revision 
of the Census. The magnitude of the task can be gathered 
from the fact that over 2,000 species of plants had to be 
dealt with, few of which possessed suitable vernacular 
names. 
In 1908 “ A Recording Census of Victorian Plants/ 1 * 3 4 5 pre¬ 
pared by Professor Ewart (then Government Botanist) and 
the officials of the National Herbarium, was published, with 
the object of furthering the work of the Committee, most 
of whose meetings were held at the National Herbarium, 
where literature and specimens were available for refer¬ 
ence and examination. 
Plant-lovers generally in this and other States have freely 
given their assistance. 
In arriving at its choice of names, the Committee has 
been largely influenced by the following considerations :— 
1. That the popular names in Great Britain and else¬ 
where for genera and species also occurring here 
should be adopted. 
2; That all the species of a genus should have the 
same substantive name. 
3. That aboriginal names more or less in use should 
be retained. 
4. That scientific generic names in popular use should 
be preferred. 
