PREFACE vii 



group name is peculiar to, and only given to the 

 members of the same household. 



Some groups have many members, some only one. 



According to Bentham and Hooker's " British 

 Flora " (6th Ed.), Wild Flowers are divided into 501 

 groups. 



Although we have so many group names, no two 

 have the same name. Several are somewhat alike, but 

 yet are different. 



We have the same sort of thing with our surnames. 

 Smith and Smythe are alike, but yet are different. 



The second Botanical Name corresponds to the 

 Christian name of human beings, and like that, enables 

 us to distinguish the different individuals of the same 

 household. 



The same second botanical name can not be given 

 to two members of the same group. 



But the same second botanical name is found in 

 many different groups. 



Usually these second botanical names indicate some 

 characteristic of the plant, as " hirsutus " hairy, 

 " latifolia " broadleaved, &c. ; or tell us where they 

 are to be found, as " arvensis " a cultivated field, 

 " sylvestris " a wood or shady place, &c. 



There is one not uncommon for it is found in several 

 groups second botanical name " officinalis." This 

 means "belonging to the shop." It not only dis- 

 tinguishes the individual, but it gives us more informa- 

 tion. It tells that the plant is one of those in whose 

 medicinal virtues our fathers firmly believed, and that 

 herbalists the chemists of those days kept in their 

 shops a stock of the plant to meet the constant demand. 



Thus it will be seen the plan is very simple. Every 



