VI PREFACE. 



of Sir J. E. Smith, and the third edition of the first vol. of 

 " The British Flora" of Dr. Hooker, and referring each 

 genus to its place in the System of Jussieu, points out 

 the groupes that are natural, and furnishes short notices, 

 occasionally, of the general habits and qualities of the 

 more extensive Natural Orders. 



The English reader may also ascertain the correct 

 pronunciation of the Latin generic and specific names, 

 which are here accentuated throughout the book. 



In other respects, the plan is the same as that of the 

 Compendium mentioned above, which has been ho- 

 nored, for a considerable time, with the approbation of 

 the scientific and learned. The genera are accordingly 

 placed synoptically at the beginning of each Class, and 

 are there arranged agreeably to certain artificial cha- 

 racters ; but in the body of the work they follow each 

 other, as much as possible, in the order of their natural 

 affinities. This method was first employed by the cele- 

 brated Linnaeus, though it has not been sufficiently un- 

 derstood by many of his followers. 



Each specific character is extracted entire from the 

 " Flora," except in the case of the more recently dis- 

 covered plants, and where the insertion of these neces- 

 sarily demanded an alteration in the nearly allied 

 species — various particulars, which are highly useful 

 whilst we are investigating plants in their native 

 situations, though they could not be included in that 

 character, are subjoined in an additional paragraph, 

 rarely occupying more than one line. These particu- 

 lars — after stating the situation in which the plant gene- 



