PREFACE. XXiii 



period in a more perfect shape than the Umits of this 

 work would admit ; it being absolutely necessary to 

 illustrate those minute objects with correct figures^ with- 

 out which mere words are useless in describing them. 



At the end of the work I have given a Table of Ano- 

 malous Flowers ; great pains have been taken to make 

 it as correct as possible. This will be found of infinite 

 service, particularly to the young botanist. For this 

 purpose I shall give an example of the use of it. Should 

 the young beginner, unacquainted A\'ith the genus Ga- 

 lium, happen to find Galium trifidum, vol. i. p. 103, 

 he would in vain look for its genus in Triandria j but by 

 referring to this table among the anomalous genera, he 

 will very easily find its proper genus. Again, by ex- 

 amining a flower of Asdepias, he might very probably 

 consider the ten pollen masses for as many anthers, 

 and look for its genus in Decandria, which by the as- 

 sistance of this table he will trace to be Pcntandria. 



For the accommodation of the English reader, I have 

 given a double Latin and English Index. Great atten- 

 tion has been paid to the correctness of the General 

 Index, in which the first number in parentheses refers 

 to the number of the genus, the other to the page. 

 The synonyms are distinguished by being in Italics. 



Notwithstanding the unremitting attention paid to 

 the correctness of this work, the author is well aware 

 that it will not be found free from those errors which are 

 unavoidable in (nay almost inseparable from) publica- 

 tions of this nature, where so great a number of autho- 

 rities are to be referred to. But he still consoles him- 

 self with the idea of having given to the v.orld a work 



