APPENDIX 



SUGGESTIONS FOR BEGINNERS. 



1. The purpose of the keys is to make it possible to deter- 

 mine the name of a plant from its structure. Though the ability to 

 name plants should not be mistaken for a knowledge of botany, 

 it is necessary for one who works with plants to be able to find 

 out their names; and if one collects a plant and finds its name 

 from a key he will learn something of its habitat, structure, life- 

 history and relationship to other plants. 



2. The Latin or scientific name of a plant consists usually of 

 two parts, as Prunus americana or Quercus macrocarpa. The first 

 part is the name of the genus to which the plant belongs, thus 

 Prunus includes the plums and cherries and Quercus all the oaks. 

 The second part or species name limits it to a single kind of plants, 

 as Prunus americana for the common wild plum and Quercus macro- 

 carpa for the bur-oak. 



3. Sometimes some of the plants in a species differs from others, 

 but the difference is not considered enough to make a new species. 

 They are then considered a variety and this is indicated by adding 

 a third part to the name, as Cichorium intybus divaricatum. 



4. As different men might apply the same name to different 

 plants and thus lead to a confusion it is customary to add after each 

 name the name, usually abbreviated, of the man who applied it. 

 Sometimes a name is followed by a double citation of authors as 

 Berteroa incana (L.) DC. This means that Linnaeus first described 

 the plant and gave it its species name, incana, but put it in the 

 genus Alyssum, and DeCandole transferre dit to the genus Berteroa. 



5. Except for a few common plants the common or English 

 names are almost worthless as the same name will be applied to 

 different plants in different places and the same plant will be known 

 by several names even in the same locality. Most of our native 

 plants have no common names. 



6. Genera are united into larger groups called families. The 

 names of families are usually formed by adding the ending aceae 

 to the name of one of its genera, as Rosaceae for the rose family 

 from Rosa. Families are grouped into orders named by adding ales 

 to the name of one of its genera as Rosales for the order including 

 the rose family and some other related families. Orders are grouped 

 into classes and classes into phyla. 



