PI^ANTS OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY. 117 



terms "early" and "late." In a local flora such as this it was felt that a 

 greater degree of definiteness could be attained than is possible in a work of 

 broad range. Whenever possible the month has been divided into three 

 parts, "early," "mid" and "late," each approximately of ten days. Where 

 such definiteness was not attainable or desirable the name of the month has 

 been used, or sometimes that of the season. 



A few examples will illustrate the plan adopted. The fruit of the chestnut 

 may be said to be ripe very definitely when the burs open and the nuts fall 

 to the ground, but it takes acute observation and discrimination to say just 

 when the fruit of the hackberry is ripe. There is no definite change such as 

 the opening of the chestnut bur, and the period of the presence of mature 

 fruit on the tree is much longer and indefinite ; so the term "autumn" is more 

 accurate than a more definite word. In the case of the oaks the same term 

 is used because of a lack of definite and comparative data. 



Again, many plants, while they begin to flower and fruit at a definite time, 

 continue indefinitely during the latter part of the growing season, the termi- 

 nation being a matter of individual vigor, advent of frost, change in moisture 

 conditions. The end of the flowering and fruiting season of such species is 

 indicated by the expression "into autumn" or "into October ;" "into" being 

 intended to denote an indefinite extension of time into that month or season, 

 not necessarily just into it. 



Plants which have occurred but a few times within our limits, but which 

 are frequent in northern New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Delaware, have often 

 been given flowering and fruiting periods based upon data from these imme- 

 diately contiguous regions. 



The seasons — spring, summer, autumn and winter — are used in their con- 

 ventional sense,* beginning respectively on the first of March, June, Sep- 

 tember and December. 



The word "sporadically" is used in the case of scattered or occasional 

 bloom occurring after the ordinary season. 



The fruiting season is that of fully mature — not merely well developed — 

 fruit, ;. e., of dehiscing capsules, falling achenes, dropping nuts and "ripe" 

 coloring of drupes. Many fruits develop rapdily and are fully grown long 

 before they are "ripe," as the nuts of Corylus, the "bladder" of Staphylea 

 and the seeds of various Umbelliferas. 



Special treatments found necessary in certain groups are described under 

 the family or generic headings. In some, such as Cyperacecc, the only dates 

 given are those of fully developed achenes, since so much depends upon their 

 characters that this date is really the only one of taxonomic importance. 



In the case of many trees or shrubs which bloom either before or simul- 

 taneously with the appearance of the leaves the relative condition of the 

 leaves at the flowering date is given. 



=*■ Century dictionary and Cyclopedia, vol. VII, p. 5548. under season. 



