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Preface
The arrangement in this, the first attempt to publish party of an illustrated collection of the Wild Flowers of Newfoundland is according to Gray's Manual. Some minor details have been adapted from the Illustrated Flora of the Northern States and Canada by Britton and Brown, and the Illustrated British Flora by Bentham and Hooker, by kind permission. The books consulted were these three and the Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs by Alfred Rehder (Arnold Arboretum, Harvard university, 1927).
The lists included are (a) Rev. Arthur C. Waghorne, C. of E. missionary (1878-99), who issued three parts of his "Flora of Newfoundland, Labrador, St. Pierre and Miquelon" in the Proceedings and Transactions of the Nova Scotia Institute of Science, Halifax, 1893, 1895, 1896; (b) Bro. Louis Arsène, who collected between 1899-1903. His "Contribution to the Flora of the Islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon" appeared in Rhodora, the Journal of the New England Botanical Club, 1927; (c) "Notes upon the flora of Newfoundland," Rhodora, May 1909, by Dr. Edwin H. Eames; (d) the discoveries of Mrs. Sinclair Kennedy, Rhodora, 1931; and (e) the many accounts appearing since 1910, particularly "Recent Discoveries in the Newfoundland Flora."
Paintings of Newfoundland flowers were made on vellum for Sir Joseph Banks, 1766. Bachelot de la Plyaie made pen-and-ink drawings about 1819. William Gosse, elder brother of P.H. Gosse, the famous naturalist, painted a series of "Field Flowers and Fruits of Newfoundland,"1830. Miss K. Waghorne made about fifty illustrations for her brother's collection, 1897. Miss Trapnell, of Harbour Grace, who died 1925, had made exquisite paintings of the commoner Newfoundland flowers for fifty years, but the author of this volume has not seen these works. Without making any pretence at being a scientific botanist, she has tried to describe briefly, and in simple terms, the plants collected by herself and friends since May 1927, and those of early botanists and recent collectors. A few well-known introduced plants are included. The descriptions at first gave an account of the locality where each plant was discovered, by whom, and the date, an interesting historical record, but this could not be included in the space of forty words and had to be omitted.
About 1000 life-sized water-colour paintings were made, most of them from living plants. In 1934 the paint was washed off and the illustrations outlined in ink. All were photographed and reduced to uniform size. A selection of 250 was made for Part III. Part I: Introduction; Part II: Fern, Pine, Grass, Sedge, etc.; Part IV: Pulse, Violet, Parsley, Heath, etc.; and Part V: Composite Family and Index, will appear in order.
The author acknowledges with gratitude her great indebtedness to Professor Fernald for his kindness in naming the plants.
Thanks are due to Miss Elsie Holloway, Mrs. Philip Knowling, Miss V. Macpherson, and Miss Hilda Dove, who helped to collect. Also the Misses Cooper of Clarenville, and many friends who sent plants from other parts of Newfoundland.
N. Amer., Nfld., means found in many parts of North America and Newfoundland. W. Nfld., means not found on the Avalon Peninsula.
A.M.A. St. John's May 6th, 1935.
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