PREFACE of the TRANSLATORS. iii. 



of molTes, and the fkin beneath the heads of mufh- 

 rooms. All this muft be explained, whether it is 

 reprefented by the word calyx, or by the word im- 

 palement i which latter, though ufed by fome of the 

 writers above-mentioned, is as difficult to the englifh 

 fcholar, as the word calyx ; is not underftood by thofe 

 who are already acquainted with the language of 

 Linneus ; and does not affift the young Botanift in 

 his ftudy of the original. 



So the word Legumen means a pod, in which all the 

 peas or feeds are attached to the upper edge or future; 

 Siliqua a pod in which they are alternately attached to 

 the upper and under one. If the former mould be 

 termed Jkell, and the latter pod, they muft ftill be 

 defined ; and thus the meaning of them would be as 

 difficult to acquire by the englifb reader as that of the 

 words legumen, and filiqua ; and would be fo unin- 

 telligible to the latin Botanift, that they could not con- 

 njerfg tagethdr. 



Hence we have retained the words calyx for flower- 

 cup ; corol for bloilbm ; jiamen for chive ; piflil for 

 pointal ; pericarp for fruit veftel ; and fome other 

 technical terms ; Juch as would necejfarily be ufed in an 

 englijh conversation by Botanijls acquainted with the 

 original of Linneus ; to thefe words we found it 

 necerTary to give englim terminations, becaufe their 

 diminutives and their participles frequently occur in 

 the courfe of the work, and they are fometimes com- 

 pounded with other words ; thus corolla is tranflated 

 Corol, petalum Petal, anthera Anther, panicula Panicle, 

 verticillus Verticil, for the purpoie of ufing corollet, 

 five-petal'd, anther-bearing, paiiicled, yerticil'd, ancl 



the 



