Expeditions and other exploration

Field work on the Ceylon Flora. Trimen’s ”Handbook” on the flora of Ceylon, published between 1893-1900, is one of the finest floras ever written of a tropical area. It is a five volume descriptive work that served very adequately for many years. It is now not only out-of-date, but completely unobtainable. The Smithsonian Institution, in cooperation with the University of Ceylon and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, is initiating a project to bring up to date and republish the Trimen ”Handbook” by providing an opportunity for field work in Ceylon.