22 BRITISH WILD FLOWERS 



known illustrations. We are struck by the fact 

 that some plants are fleshy, others are dry. 

 These have edible fruits ; those have seeds, with 

 down or wings, and others possess vessels which 

 jerk their seeds from them. 



Such matters as these it is of the first import- 

 ance to study. Mere classification, while it 

 enables us to identify a plant by means of its 

 organs, teaches us little of its wonderful history, 

 and the chief end of our study is to teach us 

 this. As an aid and supplement to the follow- 

 ing classification, we will now study some of the 

 many points of structure. 



2. The Blossom 



is usually the first thing to arrest our attention. 

 We first note its colour. It may be all of one 

 hue, as in the buttercup ; or variegated, as in 

 many of the orchids. The blossoms may be 

 regular or irregular, with the sepals and petals 

 separate or conjoined. Flowers which belong 

 to one Natural Order (N.O.) are usually very 

 much alike, although there are important ex- 

 ceptions. We find, for example, a great simi- 

 larity between all the umbels (Group vi), the 

 labiates or lip-flowers (Group iv), the orchids, 

 the roses and buttercups, and other plants. But 

 differences often exist. The columbine and 

 monkshood (173) do not look much like butter- 

 cups, though they belong to the same family. 



