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I N T R O D U C T O R Y E S S A Y .
§ 1.
P r e lim in a r y R em a rk s .
T he I s la n d o f T a sm a n ia d o e s n o t c o n ta in a v e g e ta tio n p e cu lia r to its e lf, n o r c o n s titu te an in d ep en d
en t b o ta n ic a l r e g io n . I t s p la n ts a re, w ith com p a ra tiv e ly few e x c ep tio n s , n a tiv e s o f e x tra tro p ica l
A u s t r a lia ; an d I h a v e c o n s e q u e n tly fo u n d i t n e c e ssa r y to s tu d y th e v e g e ta t io n o f a g r e a t p a r t o f th a t
v a s t C o n tin e n t , in o rd e r t o d e t e rm in e sa tis fa c to r ily th e n a tu r e , d is tr ib u tio n , an d affin itie s o f th e
T a sm a n ia n F lo ra .
F r om th e s tu d y o f c e r ta in e x tra tro p ica l g en e r a an d sp e c ie s in th e ir r e la tio n t o th o s e o f Ta sm an ia ,
I h a v e b e en le d t o th e far m o r e com p r eh en siv e u n d e r ta k in g o f a r ra n g in g an d c la s s ify in g a ll th e
A u s tr a lia n p la n ts a c c e ssib le t o m e . T h is I c om m en c ed in th e h o p e o f b e in g a b le th e r e b y to e x ten d
ou r k n ow led g e o f th e a ffin itie s o f i t s F lo r a , an d , i f p o ssib le , t o th r ow lig h t o n a v e r y ab stru se su b je c t,
v iz . th e o r ig in o f i t s v e g e ta tio n , an d th e so u r c e s o r cau se s o f it s p e cu lia r ity . T h is a g a in h a s in d u c ed m e
to p ro ce ed w ith th e in q u ir y in to th e o r ig in and d is tr ib u tio n o f e x is tin g s p e c ie s ; an d , a s I h a v e a lread y
tr e a ted o f th e s e su b je c ts in th e In tr o d u c tio n to th e N ew Z ea lan d F lo r a , I n ow em b ra c e th e o p p o r tu n
ity afforded m e b y a s im ila r In tr o d u c tio n to th e T a sm a n ia n F lo r a , o f r e v is in g th e o p in io n s I th en
e n te r ta in ed , and o f a g a in in v e s tig a t in g th e w h o le su b je c t o f th e c r e a tio n o f sp e c ie s b y v a r ia tio n , w ith
th e aid o f th e exp e r ien c e d e r iv ed from m y su b seq u en t s tu d ie s o f th e F lo r a s o f I n d ia an d A u s tr a lia in
r e la tio n to o n e a n o th e r a n d to th o s e o f n e ig h b o u r in g c o u n tr ie s, and o f th e r e c e n tly p u b lish ed h y p o th
e s e s o f M r . D a rw in a n d M r . W a lla c e .
N o g en e r a l a c c o u n t o f t h e F lo r a o f A u s t r a lia h a v in g h ith e r to b e en p u b lish ed , n o r in d e ed a c om p
le te F lo r a o f a n y p ar t o f it , I h a v e b e en o b lig ed , a s a p r e lim in a r y m ea su r e , to b r in g to g e th e r and
a r ran g e th e s ca tte r ed m a te r ia ls (b o th p u b lish ed a n d r inpublished) r e la tin g t o i t s v e g e ta t io n t o w h ich
I h ad ac c e ss. T h o s e w h ich are p u b lish ed c o n s is t o f v e r y n um e r o u s p ap e rs r e la tin g to th e g e n e r a l
b o ta n y o f A u stra lia , in sc ien tific p e r io d ica ls, an d ap p en d ed t o b o o k s o f tra v e l, am o n g st w h ich b y far
th e m o s t im p o r ta n t are B r ow n ’s ‘ G en e ra l R em a rk s, G eo g ra p h ica l a n d S y s t em a t ic a l, o n th e B o ta n y
o f T e rra A u str a lis,’ p u b lish ed in th e A p p en d ix t o C ap ta in F lin d e r s ’ V o y a g e , n ow n e a r ly h a lf a c en tu ry
a g o ; A lla n C u im in g h am ’s A p p en d ix to C ap ta in K in g ’s V o y a g e , w h ich appeared in 1 8 2 7 ; L in d le y ’s
R ep o r t o n th e Sw a n R iv e r B o t a n y ; an d M u e lle r ’s, o n th e T ro p ica l B o ta n y o f A u s tr a lia . T h e r e are
also som e sp e c ia l e s sa y s or d e sc r ip tiv e w o rk s on th e F lo r a s o f c e r ta in p a r ts o f th e c o n t in e n t : o f
h