11 PREFACE TO THE TABLES. 



ing directions and illustrations. We will suppose the student to be in posses- 

 sion of an unknown plant which he wishes to study by the aid of the Flora, 

 in other words, to analyze. To this end, he first determines to which of the 

 Linnaean classes it belongs, either by his previous knowledge of their char- 

 acters, or by an appeal to the synopsis, page 3. Thus, he inquires, 



1. Has tlie plant stamens and pistils? Answer It has. 



2. Are they in the same, or in separate flowers.' In the same flower. 



3. Are the stamens/z-ce from the pistils, or udhcrcnt to them.' Free. 



4. Are they distinct from each other, or united? Distinct. 



5. Are tliey of equai or unequal length ? Equal. 



G. What is their number? Ten. The plant is therefore of the class 

 Decandria. The student now turns to class 10, and inquires, 



1. What is the number of s<y?es.? Two. The artificial order is Digynia. 



2. Are the flowers apetalous, &c. or polijpetalous, S^c? Polypetalous. 



3. Arc the iicta.\s unguiculate or not unguiculate? Unguiculate. The nat- 

 ural order is therefore Caryophyllaceae. Turn now to natural order 24, 

 and inquire, 



1. Is the calyx tubular, or not tubular? Tubular. 



2. What is the number of the styles? Two. 



3. Ca.\yx loilh, or without scsiles atlheha.se? Without. The genus is there- 

 fore Saponaria. Turn lastly to the 0th genus, and learn the species in the 

 usual way. 



Attain, suppose that by the synopsis, page 3, his plant is ascertained to 

 belono- to class 12, Icosandria; by reference to that class he learns its artificial 

 order to be Polyandrla, corresponding with natural order 49, Rosaceae. Turn- 

 intr to that order he inquires, with the conspectus before him, 



1. Is the fruit achcnia, fullidcs , drupes or jmincs? Achenia. 



2. Are the achenia naked, or enclosed, &c.? Naked. 

 3. — Dry, or drupaceous, &c.? Dry. 



4. Is their number 3 — many, or ouly 1 — 2 ? 3 — many. 



5. — On a dry receptacle, or a. juicy one .' Dry. [uous. 



6.— Caudate with the persistent styles, or are the styles deciduous? Decid- 



7. Are the leaves compound, or simple? Compound. 



8. Is the plant caulescent, or acaulcsccnt ? Aoaulescent, and the genus is 

 Waldsteinia. Turn lastly to that genus and study the species. Further illus- 

 trations are, perhaps, unnecessary. 



