Vlll PREFACE. 



lous. Well theiij to which of the polypetalous groups does it 

 belong — that with petals distinct and stamens hypogynous, or 

 that with petals distinct and stamens perigynous or epigynous? 

 It proves, when pulled to pieces, first gently tearing away the 

 calyx and then the petals, to have hypogynous stamens : so 

 that it is one of the Thalamiflores. Then comes the question, 

 are the carpels distinct or combined into an apocarpous ovary ? 

 They are combined. After that the question, whether the 

 placentas are parietal or axile ? They are parietal. Still again 

 another inquiry, whether the stamens are five or six in num- 

 ber ? They are six, and tetradynamous. We should thus ar- 

 rive at the fact that it belonged to group 3, or the Cruciferous 

 plants. Then turning to group 3 in p. 28, two decisions would 

 lead us to fix on the eighth genus, Cheiranthus. Passing on 

 to the eighth genus in p. 44, it would at last be found that 

 the plant was Cheiranthus Cheiri. By a similar use of the 

 tabulated information the names of the other plants would be 

 ascertained. 



The book does not contain all our British plants, but only 

 those which have been deemed the most likely to be met with 

 either in home-walks or during more extended health-seeking 

 or pleasure-seeking trips. These have been divided under 

 the four seasons, an arrangement which it has been thought 

 would simplify the task of searching for the name of a flower 

 by excluding those which bloom during other seasons. Gene- 

 rally this would be the case, but instances may here and there 



