Namaqualand called "Buchuberg," but the geographer, who, guided by this name, would conclude that this area bears a south-western flora, including Barosma, or other rutaceous plants, etc., would commit a flagrant mistake. The plant after which this mountain was named is a composite, viz., Pteronia onobromoides, called "buchu" by the natives on account of its highly aromatic properties and employed by them instead of the real buchu. Let us take another case, viz., dagga. It is generally stated that the wild dagga plant is Leonotis leonurus, but when a few years ago an attempt was made to include "wild dagga" in the list of drugs which chemists may not sell without a doctor's prescription, it was found that there were different kinds of dagga, and that some of them were not used for smoking, like the cultivated dagga (Cannabis indica), but were employed for various ailments in what one may call legitimate ways. As a matter of fact there are twelve species of Leonotis recorded from South Africa, all more or less known under the name of dagga; hence this name is of little use for recording the distribution of plants, unless accompanied by a specimen in each case. Another name which is helpful when accepted with discretion, but useless and confusing when taken as having a specific meaning, is noors. It is applied to all species of thorny Euphorbias, that means to at least twenty-five different species, some of them excellent fodder plants, like E. hystrix, E. enopla, E. caerulescens, etc., others virulent and poisonous like E. virosa, E. ledienii, E. ferox, etc.; hence the roors of one farm will be praised as a boon, while that of another may be a great pest, just as the bietouw of Calvinia (Tripteris sinuata) is valuable and nutritious, while that of the Eastern Cape Districts (Dimorphotheca zeyheri) and that of Knysna, etc. (Osteospermum moniliferum), are poisonous to stock. But also in purely geographical work one has to be careful and critical before accepting the common name of a plant as a proper record of its Occurrence. One of the first experiences of the kind was made by the writer with the name "palmiet" (Prionium serratum). The plant is so typical in its appearance and forms such a prominent element of the swamp vegetation of the south-western districts, that a confusion with other plants appears almost impossible. When, consequently, we found the name "palmiet "' mentioned on a map of the neighbourhood of Walvis Bay and Sandwich Harbour, published about thirty years ago by Stapff (not O. Stapf), this reputed occurrence of the Prionium so far north aroused our suspicion. Through the assistance of some friends we finally succeeded in obtaining a specimen of the plant going there under this name and found it to be Typha australis, a widely spread aquatic plant (bulrush). A similar case is afforded by a statement in Th. Bent's book on the "Ruins of Rhodesia," where he refers to the sugar-bush, with the name Protea mellifera in brackets. That species is, however, confined to the southern and south-western coast districts, while the plant seen by the explorer was probably Protea abyssinica. A third instance of confusion arising out of the injudicious use of the common name is afforded by the silver tree. Livingstone ("Travels," Vol. I) mentions it in Barotseland, and Parker Gilmore (" The Great Thirstland," p. 417) near Shoshong, both travellers quoting the botanical name Leucadendron argenteum in order to leave no doubt about it. Both were, of course, wrong, having mistaken Terminalia sericea (Combretaceae) for the real silver tree, which, as is well known, occurs only in a little corner of the south-western Cape. It is not surprising that geographers not personally acquainted with the flora of South Africa have drawn misleading conclusions from such statements, and as more such cases of confusion have been caused by the wrong use of the common name, the necessity for securing specimens for identification will be apparent to all correspondents and helpers in survey work, especially in localities which are not easily accessible. The following list contains some of the names commonly used for Boterblom (Ranunculus, Gazania, Dimorphotheca). Bush Tea (Cyclopia, three species; Aspalathus). Dubbeltje (Emex, Tribulus). Everlasting (many species of Helichrysum and Helipterum). Gousblom (many kinds). Harpuisbos (ten or more species of Euryops). Ice Plant (many species of Mesembrianthemum). Jeukbol (Drimia, several). Kalkoentje (Gladiolus alatus and others). Kalmus (Acorus, Alepidea, Lichtensteinia). Klossie (Ixia, many). Kannidood (Aloe, Gasteria, Haworthia, many). Wilde Kapok (Asclepias, various species). Kiriemoer (Mesembrianthemum and Euphorbia, several each). Klimop (Cynanchum, several species, and others). Krentebos (Rhus, many kinds). Marigold (many kinds). Melkbos (fifty or more species of Euphorbia, but also Asclepias, etc.). Naaboom (Euphorbia, four species). Nentabossie [Cotyledon ventricosa (Jansenville) and other species]. Noors (Euphorbia, various spiny species, some forming good stock food like E. enopla and E. coerulescens; others very poisonous). Pijpie (many kinds of Gladiolus). Salie (Salvia, ten or more kinds). Slangkop (Urginea and Ornithoglossum). Taaibes (Rhus, many kinds). Tulp (five or more species of Homeria and Moraea). Uintje (many kinds). Vingerpol (Euphorbia, ten or more species). Zuring (Oxalis, Rumex). [A very useful handbook on the common names of South African plants is "The Common Names of Plants," by R. Marloth, Ph.D. (published by the Speciality Press, Johannesburg). THE EDITOR.] SOUTH AFRICAN BOTANICAL LITERATURE. By S. SCHÖNLAND. It is not the object of this article to give an exhaustive account of South African botanical literature. The "Catalogue of printed books and papers relating to South Africa," Part I-Botany, compiled by P. MacOwan and H. Bolus, and published by the South African Philosophical Society in their Transactions, Vol. II, Part III (1882), dealt mainly with systematic. botany, and although incomplete even at the time of publication, described briefly 551 items on 72 pages. To bring it up to date, even within its restricted scope, would double or treble the number. Much valuable information on South African plants is contained in morphological, anatomical, physiological, and phytogeographical works and in books of travel. However, pure morphology, anatomy, and physiology will be passed over in this article. I must, however, call attention to the researches on Welwitschia by the late Professor H. H. W. Pearson, which were mostly published in the Trans. Roy. Soc. (Vols. CXCVIII, CC). A number of botanical books for South African schools have been published. Some of these, however, are so bad that one would only be justified in mentioning them if one were to utter a warning against their use. Amongst the few exceptions is a small book by Mrs. F. Bolus, "Elementary Lessons in Systematic Botany" (Capetown, 1919). From what has been said it will be seen that a large library is required to cover the whole field of South African botanical literature. Good collections are found in the South African Public Library, Capetown the Bolus Herbarium, the South African Museum, the National Herbarium, and the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, the library of Dr. Marloth, my own. library (with which is incorporated the library of the late Dr. MacOwan, and which is supplemented by the library of the Albany Museum), besides numerous smaller collections in many public and private libraries. * In connection with several libraries of University institutions in South Africa good collections are also being built up. Macowan and Bolus, in the introduction to their catalogue, stated: As regards our own collections, we take the opportunity of saying that we shall at all times be ready to allow scholarly use of them," and this no doubt is the attitude taken up by all proprietors or custodians of the libraries mentioned above, and, moreover, all South African botanists will always be glad to place their experience with reference to the literature at the disposal of anybody wishing to study any particular branch. In this article the selection of works mentioned must necessarily be arbitrary and is meant to be useful rather than comprehensive. In the section "Systematic Botany-Phanerogams" special attention is given to treatises supplementary to the published volumes of the Flora Capensis," but even with reference to these completeness could not be aimed at and isolated descriptions of new species have had to be passed over entirely. See Lloyd, A. C. G.-"A List of the Serial Publications Available for Consultation n the Libraries and Scientific Institutions of the Union of South Africa." Capetown, The love of gardening by the Dutch led to the introduction into Europe of a number of the South African plants to Holland towards the end of the seventeenth century, and the works describing and figuring their garden plants included an increasing number of these derived from South Africa. The first South African plant described and figured was most likely Stapelia variegata L. (in a Stapel, J. B.. "Theophrasti Eresii de historia Plantarum libri decem "), which Justus Heurnius,* the first collector of Cape plants. forwarded in 1644. In the eighteenth century the English began also to cultivate South African plants until towards the end of the century our Ericaceae, Proteaceae, Stapeliae, etc., may almost be said to have dominated the greenhouses not only in England and Holland. but also in other European countries, where large collections of exotic plants were cultivated, as will be gathered subsequently from the enumeration of some of the most important illustrated works. The influence of Linnaeus (1707-78) made itself felt in the general interest taken in our plants. He himself classified many of them. His pupil and, later, his successor, C. P. Thunberg (1743-1822) included the Cape in his extensive travels. Bolus and MacOwan say of him he was the first collector and botanist, after the revival of the science by Linnaeus, to grapple vigorously with the enormous mass of material presented by the Cape flora, and he might be aptly termed the father of Cape Botany. His work culminated in the first Flora Capensis," which, in its complete form, was published in 1823 (edited by J. A. Schultes). Another work which may be mentioned, as it deals exclusively with Cape plants and is useful in identifying the figures of the older school, is by P. J. Bergius, "Descriptiones Plantarum e C.B. Sp." (1767). Many South African plants were first published in Aiton's "Hortus Kewensis," Ist ed. 1789, 2nd ed. 1810-13. A. H. Haworth, from 1794 to 1824, wrote very largely on South African succulent plants. His most comprehensive work is the "Synopsis Plantarum Succulentarum" (1812). Much botanical information is scattered in works of travel, but there is one outstanding-namely, Burchell, W. J., "Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa (1822). His "Catalogus Geographicus Plantarum Africae Australis Extratropicae" (14 vols.) is at Kew. The large collections made by Ecklon and Zeyher, Drège, and others led to a flood of publications by numerous authors, especially in the "Linnaea," Hooker's Companion to the Botanical Magazine," his Botanical Miscellany," and his "London Journal of Botany" during the thirties and forties of the last century. Restiaceae, Cyperaceae, and Gramineae were in this period first somewhat comprehensively dealt with by Nees von Fsenbeck; our Orchids were dealt with by Lindley's masterhand and later by Dr. Sonder. The scattered articles not only on our plants, but also the plants of other parts of the globe which had yielded innumerable new species owing chiefly to the collecting zeal which had been fostered by English and German botanists, created the demand for comprehensive works in which the knowledge gained could be utilized not only for deepening the study of species, but also of genera and whole orders in fact, for the building up of a more and more complete natural system. The most important of these works, though not specially dealing with South African plants, but indispensable to their study, are: De Candolle, A. P. and A., "Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni *See MacOwan, P., Personalia of Botanical Collectors at the Cape," Trans. S.A. Phil. Soc., IV, 1884. Britten, James, Some Early Cape Botanists and Collectors," Journ. Linn. Soc. (Bot.), XLV, 29. De Candolle, A. and C., Suites du Prodromus," 9 vols. (1878-96). "Annales Botanices Systematiceae," 7 vols. (1848-68). Engler, A., "Das Pflanzenreich (1900 to -). -) (73 numbers have been published). This is the most ambitious systematic work ever attempted. In the year 1838, W. H. Harvey published his "Genera of South African Plants.' A second edition was edited by Dr. J. D. Hooker, and published in 1868. The latter is still one of the most useful books to students of South African Phanerogamic Botany. Encouraged by Sir William Jackson Hooker and his son, Dr. J. D. (later Sir Joseph) Hooker, Harvey, in collaboration with Dr. O. W. Sonder, of Hamburg, who had already distinguished himself by some painstaking researches on difficult South African groups of plants, published from 1859 to 1865 the first three volumes of their "Flora Capensis." There has seldom been a happier combination of two great men in scientific work. Unfortunately, Harvey died in 1866, and the work came to a standstill, although Sonder was already well advanced in additional parts. The work was not resumed until 1896, when, under the editorship of Sir W. Thiselton Dyer, who contributed the prefaces to the sixth and subsequently issued volumes, the work was gradually advanced by various botanists, and is now nearly finished. It is now essentially a Kew publication, and this is only fitting from every point of view. Important parts were, however, contributed by the late Dr. Bolus, the late Dr. Pearson, and by Dr. Phillips. There is never any finality in this kind of work, especially as even now South Africa is very incompletely explored. It is no disparagement to say that it is very desirable that the first three volumes and large portions even of recent volumes should be rewritten at an early date. In the early sixties the late Dr. P. MacOwan arrived in South Africa and devoted his superabundant energies largely to the study of South African plants. He did not publish much, but helped others by his splendid collections, by encouraging other collectors, and generally by much unselfish labour. His friend, the late Dr. Bolus, worked at first on similar lines, but published a fair number of articles, contributed a large part of the account of the Ericaceae in the "Flora Capensis,” and crowned his work on Orchidaceae by the publication of several finely illustrated volumes. Amongst comparatively recent collectors who contributed to a considerable extent to botanical literature (especially Asclepiadaceae and Orchidaceae) Dr. Rudolf Schlechter, of Berlin. About thirty-five years ago Dr. Hans Schinz, of Zurich, Switzerland, undertook a journey through South-West Africa to Lake N'gami. His collections formed the basis of a large number of publications, chiefly under the title "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Afrikanischen Flora." is When the writer arrived in South Africa a little over thirty years ago there was, with the exception of Dr. Marloth, not a single person in South |