P R E F A C E .
IK 1889 Dr. K.sa, p E.S., O.I.E., Sapoiiiifendonf of the Eoyal Bofanio Garden, directed
me to arrange the Indo-Mulayan Laiinici preserved in this Herbarium in accordance with
Sir J. D. IIooKEii's article "L.wi,™" in the Fhm of BritM, Mia. While examining
tire material of the gcmis GOMPHOSTEMMA, it was found that there were some new forms
(mainly Malayan) thjt appeared to throw light on the natural disposition of its species.
At Dr. King's suggestion an eiamination of all the material of the genus available was
undertaken. The results are embodied in this paper.
T h e generosity ef Mr. THKELION DYEE, O.I,.G., P.S.S., DiEECroi! of the Eoyi i GASDEHS
KEW, who has kindly directed a number of specimens illustrating tl,e genus to be sent
to the Calcutta Herbarium, has enabled me to render the paper more complete thai™
otherwise would have been, but it could never have been prepared at all had I not had
the benefit of mueh kind assistance from Mr. HEMSEEY, P.E.S., ¡„„.erij Assistant 1
India (now Principal Assistant) in Kew Herbarinm, who ha» taken infinite pains t'
answer m detail n.any queries regarding particular specimens, and has carefully ccmpared
a set of specmiens that correspond with tire «amples of the Wailkhian and Be, a, '
Herbaria at Calcutta with the types of Ur. WAEUOH'S species preserved in the HerblX"
of the Lmneun Society of London, and with the examples of the Walli,M„ and
Bcnihamian Herbaria at Kcw.
Mr. Fom, E.r..s., ef Heng-Kong, has very generously communicated a duplicate of
the only Chmese species, and Mr. E. BAEEK, has kindly replied to enouiries
regardmg some specimens contained in the British Museum.
The time has net yet a„i,ed for a final revision of this genus: some forms already
reperted arc si,11 „adequately represented, many localities likely to yield examni
. i l l inadequately explored. This paper therefore docs not claim l o L ^ Je IT
form or m matter: it is simply, as its title implies, an account, as u n i f o r L t t bk
prevees accounts, of the various forms hitherto reported. Ecductions not w a ™ «
y the presence ef the neecssary intermediate forms have not only not been e Z t d
but some for„,s which it may be hoped ultimately to merge in prevLsl v n ,
.mve been prcvisiena.ly advanced to speeiae rank^^ The d L d v a n " ^ r:!: ; ; : ;
treatment wdl, .t is hoped, be more than counterbalanced owing to the limits oT th
.•ecognised species haviug been left unaltered. At the same tim'e, siucl I n f o y
future students ef the genus tlrat all the results of a somewhat prolonged study of th
matenalnow available shonid be pnt on record, the reductions L i c a t e d by sLetn
c . a r a e t „ . as ^ bave been d„,y set forth in a tabelar form in the L : 11
a subordinate f and orm in the text.
N.=«».IKIC-M, KOVAL BOTANIC GÌEDEH, CALCUTTA;
Isi Au^ixai 1890.
DAVID PEAIN.