HOW TO USE THE BOOK 



that the actual flowers were yellow. Flowers which fail to sug- 

 gest any definite color are relegated to the Miscellaneous section. 



With the description of each flower is given — 



1. Its common English name — if one exists. This may be 

 looked upon as its " nickname," a title attached to it by chance, 

 often endeared to us by long association, the name by which it 

 may be known in one part of the country but not necessarily in 

 another, and about which, consequently, a certain amount of 

 disagreement and confusion often arises. 



2. Its scientific name. This compensates for its frequent 

 lack of euphony by its other advantages. It is usually composed 

 of two Latin — or Latinized — words, and is the same in all parts 

 of the world (which fact explains the necessity of its Latin form). 

 Whatever confusion may exist as to a flower's English name, its 

 scientific one is an accomplished fact — except in those rare cases 

 where an undescribed species is encountered — and rarely admits 

 of dispute. The first word of this title indicates the getius of the 

 plant. It is a substantive, answering to the last or family name 

 of a person, and shows the relationship of all the plants which 

 bear it. The second word indicates the species. It is usually 

 an adjective, which betrays some characteristic of the plant, or 

 it may indicate the part of the country in which it is found, or 

 the person in whose honor it was named. 



3. The English title of the larger Family to which the plant 

 belongs. All flowers grouped under this title have in common 

 certain important features which in many cases are too obscure 

 to be easily recognized ; while in others they are quite obvious. 

 One who wishes to identify the flowers with some degree of 

 ease should learn to recognize at sight such Families as present 

 conspicuously characteristic features. 



For fuller definitions, explanations, and descriptions than 

 are here given, Gray's text-books and ''Manual" should be 

 consulted. After some few flowers have been compared with 

 the partially technical description which prefaces each popular 

 one, little difficulty should be experienced in the use of a botan- 



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