PREFACE 
. Then the name of the Boranist who classified it, and lastly, in this depart- 
ment is given the old, or sexual, arrangement according to Linnzus. 
6°. All of this is considered essential, as it is conceded that plants of like 
botanical, and therefore chemical, nature, have a similar action, giving 
a class of what we may term generic symptoms, though each has its 
special (specific) symptoms that characterize it, It is for this reason 
that the plants here treated of are arranged as above ; for, if alpha- 
betically arranged, the work would have lost at least one-half its value. 
7°, Then follows the BoranicaL and common names. 
8°. Then the Synonymy which follows has become necessary, as most species, 
unfortunately, have received more than one name, resulting mostly 
from two causes: first, that of different views held concerning ‘the limits 
of the genera and species; and, second, from an unavoidable ignorance 
in the discoverer, in a given locality, of the previous discovery of the 
plant in another. The descriptive binominal system, invented by Linnzeus 
in 1753, is the earliest date any such names can have, though many 
plants had been quite fully described before that time. It becomes, 
therefore, quite a necessity in all botanical works that full mention of 
aliases should be made, to render reference to earlier writers satisfactory. 
The Common Names in the English, French and German languages, 
under which the plant is known in different localities and countries. 
9°. Then follows a Description of the plant, which is condensed even at a 
sacrifice of grammatical construction, using botanical terms freely, but 
not unreservedly; where several species of a genus occur in sequence, 
the genus is separately described to avoid repetition, and under the 
first genus of any order the natural order itself is described in brief. 
5 ee. Then the origin of the plant, its geographical distribution throughout the 
__- United States, its favorite locations and time of flowering; this is fol- 
lowed by a concise history of the species, and fully. describes the uses 
of the plant for Medicinal purposes, from the earliest known period, 
_ according to the Aborigines, and all schools of ioe me” in Medicine. | 
“Then follows, a 
y Pr “mention of the: part. tibed: ‘and the various. "preparations 
ral pharmacopeeias, which are, chiefly according to the 
st revision, (6th) of the “United States P Pharmacopceia,” 
es Ame can Homeopathic Pharmacopeeia.” “Tier description: of 
a the ‘physical | properties is, however, origina and of great Value. 
Then the ‘Chemica Consrirvents: or nature of the plants. 
13". The "Pargocical. action “of abe Se is described symptomatically, o 
cases of actual toxic =e are duly peated an its ane ba: also. very 
oe full in Le oma : pee att - 
