

SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING 

 PLANTS 



THE PLANT AND ITS PAETS. 



The Vegetative Organs of Ox'alis cer'nua, the South 

 African Sorrel. — To be a botanist, it is not enongh to 

 read about flowers, but you must always examine the 

 living plants themselves ; ^ so, as soon as you can, get 

 each of the plants referred to in this book, and compare 

 it with what I have to say about it. 



One of the commonest flowers which appears after 

 the rains is the yellow-flowered Ox'alis called cer'nua, 

 because of its drooping flowers, as that is the meaning 

 of the Latin word cer'nua (Fig. 1). 



Dig the whole plant up, and we will begin by 

 studying those parts which keep the plant alive and 

 enable it to grow, and indeed, in the case of this plant, 

 to multiply it as well. Botanists call all such parts 



^ It is advisable for the begiuner to be provided with a penknife 

 and a pocket-lens, for dissecting and examining the smaller parts 

 of flowers. 



