INTRODUCTION. 



What is particularly hard, too, is the fact that the bot- 

 anists have apparently shaken the names up in a bag 

 and sorted them out afresh. 



Regarding that bugbear of the botanical student, no- 

 menclature, it may be well to make a plain statement 

 of the facts of the case. Neither the older system of 

 plant arrangement according to Dr. Gray nor some of 

 his names can remain as they have been. At present 

 the botanists prefer the system of Engler and Prantl. It 

 certainly shows more distinctly the character of devel- 

 opment in plant form by placing Typhace^e first and 

 Composite last, not to speak of the satisfactory charac- 

 ter of the arrangements in between. As for names, few, 

 after all, of Dr. Gray's choosing are to be displaced. 

 His successors are now engaged with such revision as is 

 really necessary. Through the courtesy of Mr. Merritt 

 L. Fernald I am able to adopt most of these names, and 

 the extreme care with which the system they represent 

 has been worked out inclines me to believe it will be ulti- 

 mately and universally accepted. 



At the present time there is no international agreement 

 regarding nomenclature by the scientists of the new 

 and the old world. From what I know of the so-called 

 Rochester Code, I should say it is a disturbing influence 

 among already agitated conditions, and its lack of con- 

 sistency does not entitle it to unreserved acceptance. 

 Perhaps its instability is more clearly attested by the 

 two articles from Mr. Fernald's pen which appeared in 

 the Botanical Gazette, vol. 31, March, 1901, and vol. 32, 

 Nov., 1901, and by the action long since of most of our 

 eminent botanists, who have published a signed protest 

 against it. 



In reference to the color names used in this book it 

 would be advisable to concisely explain the principle 

 upon which they are based. There is always one unfail- 

 ing source where one may obtain color properly labeled ; 

 that is at the color dealer's. Perhaps I must modify 

 this statement and say most generally properly labeled. 

 It is upon a purely scientific basis that the flowers are 

 given their proper color names ; this is the list in simple 

 form : 



xvii 



