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Tuts work is intended for those who have mastered the elements of botany 
and who wish to be acquainted, as rapidly and readily as may be, with the 
name and systematic position of any our of Native Plants. It is purposely 
kept brief, and, though too abridged to serve as a sole source of information, 
yet it is issued to meet the need of a handy work of reference, since the 
Flora Australiensis is too bulky and too expensive. 
The plan of the Key is adopted chiefly from the Flora Australiensis, and 
a little practice will suffice to enable the tyro to make use of it, especially 
if he select at first a few known species. ‘‘ The student having a plant to 
determine, will first take the general table of Natural Orders, and examin- 
ing his plant at each step to see which alternative agrees with it, will be 
led on to the Order to which it belongs. If it agrees, he will follow the 
same course with the table of the genera of that Order, and again with the 
table of species of the genus. But in each case, if he finds that his plant 
does not agree with the description of the genus or species to which he has 
been referred, he must revert to the beginning and carefully go through 
every step of the investigation before he can be satisfied. A fresh examina- 
tion of his specimen, or of others of the same plant, a critical consideration 
of the meaning of every expression in the characters given, may lead him 
to detect some minute point overlooked or mistaken, and put him into the 
right way. Species vary within limits which is very difficult to express in 
words, and it proves often impossible, in framing these analytical tables, 
so to divide the genera and species, that those which come under one alter- 
native should absolutely exclude the others; in such doubtful cases both 
alternatives must be tried.” Bentham. Special attention is directed to the 
characters printed in italics. 
