6 Preface 
The plan of the work is to consider the principal 
plant families in their proper sequence as regarded 
by scientific botanists, but as there are some small 
differences in the systems of living authorities, the 
author has thought it wise to keep the present 
work in harmony with his former flower-books, by 
following the arrangement of Sir J. D. Hooker's 
admirable Students Flora of the British Islands. 
The illustrations in the text have been specially 
drawn for this work, and for their execution the 
author has been principally indebted to the pen of 
his daughter. The headpieces by Theo. Carreras 
are also original; and the tinted plates are from 
photos taken by the- author from plants in their 
natural habitats, and in some cases under very 
difficult conditions. 
