38 ENGLISH WILD PLOWERS. 



in a covering of pulp like the plum and peach. The cone 

 is- a species of catkin with hardened scales, well known 

 as the fruit of the piue or fir tribe. The pome is a fleshy 

 covering to a capsule and seeds. The apple and pear 

 furnish familiar instances of this species of fruit. 



A. slight acquaintance with these varied forms will 

 materially assist the lover of wild flowers in recognizing 

 them from the description I have given, and in deter- 

 mining the names of the strange dwellers in out-of- 

 the-way nooks and dingles. 



In many instances the name of the family of plants 

 -which we have added to the common and scientific 

 name in the index is derived from some peculiarity 

 in the form of the inflorescence, which distinguishes 

 the genera and shows their alliance. Thus carrot, 

 fennel, parsley, hemlock, and other similar plants have 

 their flowers in umbels and arethus called umbelliferous. 

 When many small florets are joined in one common 

 receptacle, they are known as compound flowers, and 

 belong to the composite family. The daisy and dan. 

 delion, the thistle and bluebottle, furnish us with 

 familiar examples of this family. In the last chapter 

 of this manual I have given the names of all tbe families 

 and an outline of the botanical systems. 



