INTRODUCTION 



Botany is the Science of Plants ; and the series of 

 plants inhabiting any particular country is often 

 called the Flora of that country, after Flora, the 

 Roman Goddess of Flowers. 



A considerable number of plants are found grow- 

 ing wild in the British Islands, and many others 

 have been introduced into gardens, and have then 

 run wild, and become naturalised; while foreign 

 trees have been planted in woods or shrubberies. 

 Many plants, again, especially weeds, are liable to 

 be introduced by accident, as when their seeds are 

 mixed with seed corn. So that it does not follow 

 that every plant found growing apparently wild is 

 truly indigenous. 



On the other hand, building, drainage, enclosure, 

 cultivation, clearing, weeding, etc., greatly tend to 

 reduce the number of species of our wild plants. 

 Nor is this the case in Britain only. I was once 



walking along a country road in Germany with an 

 artist friend, and we saw a man cutting down the 

 wild flowers that bordered the path. We asked 

 what he was doing this for, and he answered, " to 

 beautify the road." The much greater interest now 

 taken in natural objects likewise contributes towards 

 the extermination of our more conspicuous wild 

 flowers. It is, therefore, by no means superfluous 

 to advise that in gathering wild flowers (especially if 

 only for a temporary purpose, such as decorations 

 or a nosegay), very few of the same kind should 

 be taken unless they are plentiful ; and this applies 

 still more to roots than to flowers. Reasonable 

 care should accompany interest, or we are liable 

 only to destroy what we admire. This is equally 

 true abroad. Even in Switzerland, where wild 

 flowers are far more plentiful and varied than with 

 us, complaints are made that the rarer species are 



