A SYNOPSIS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



With a little practice these dry sj'iiopses can be 

 transformed into revelations of scientific truth 

 that are as interesting as stories. In no other 

 way can you grasp a genus and hold it as in the 

 hollow of your hand. 



To maiiier a family. 



Suppose you know enough about rhododendrons 

 and laurel to wish to know more about the wliole 

 family to wliieh they belong. This is natural, 

 because the heath family happens to be a cultural 

 unit as well as a botanical one. That is, the 

 members of this family are mostly shallow-root- 

 ing, lovers of moisture and shade and leaf mold ; 

 and usually need to be mulclied both summer 

 and winter. 



Turn to page 38 and you will see how many 

 genera compose the familj', what they are, how 

 they are related to one another and how they 

 differ. By studying them further you may 

 satisfy yourself as to their relative importance 

 in horticulture, tlieir different requirements, and 

 the like. 



The distinctions between families. 



Although no apology for a synopsis or key is 

 required by the botanist it has seemed neces.sary 

 to make such a defense, because experience has 

 shown that the general public lias not been using 

 its volumes of the Cyclopedia of American 

 Horticulture to their full value, apparently 

 from a feeling that a key is an unnecessarily 

 technical affair and that the information it con- 

 tains could be better expressed in paragraph 

 form. 



We are compelled to admit that the distinctions 

 between families are highly technical, in many 

 cases depending on microscopical characters, 

 but there is no help tor it. The more species 

 there are to be be differentiated, the smaller the 

 distinctions must be, and there are thousands of 

 species described in the Cyclopedia. There are 

 several hundred families in the vegetable king- 

 dom. 



TECHNICAL TERMS. 



Ver3' few technical terms ai-e used in the 

 Cyclopedia of American Horticulture which 

 are not explained in the popular text-books of 

 Botany, such as Gray's Slanual. Therefore, it 

 has not seemed worth while to add a glossary 

 of botanical terms. 



Only one arbitary sign is used : " oo " means 

 ■' indefinite." 



FRAMEWOBK OF THE WHOLE PLAN. 

 VEGETABLE KINGDOM 



Families 



Division 1. Flowering Plants or Phanerogams. 1-161 



Subdivision!. Dicotyledons or Exogens. .. . 1-140 



Class 1. Angiosperms 1-137 



Subclass 1. PoIypetaliE 1-73 



Series 1. Tlialamiflora? 1-29 



Cohort 1. Kanales 1- 8 



Cohort 2. Parietales 9-17 



( ohoit 3. Polygalales 18- 20 



Cohort 4. Caryophyllales 21- 23 



Cohort .1. (iuttiferales 24- 26 



Cohort (J. Malvales 27- 29 



Series 2. Discifiorse 30- 50 



Cohort 1. Geraniales 30- 38 



Cohort 2. Olacales 39- 41 



Cohort 3. Celastrales 42- 46 



Cohort 4. Sapindales 47-50 



Series 3. Calyciflora; 51- 73 



Cohort 1. Rosales 51- 58 



Cohort 2. Myrtales 59- 64 



Cohort 3. Passiflorales 65- 68 



Cohort 4. Ficoidales 69- 70 



Cohort 5. Umbellales 71- 73 



Subclass 2. Gamopetalce 74-110 



Series 1. Infers 74- 80 



Cohort 1. Rubiales 74- 75 



Cohort 2. Asterales 76- 79 



Cohort 3. Campanales 80- 80 



Series 2. Heteromerse 81- 89 



Cohort 1. Ericales 81- 83 



Cohort 2. Primtilales 84- 86 



Cohort 3. Ebenales 87- 89 



Series 3. Bicarpellatie 90-110 



Cohort 1. Centianales 90- 94 



Cohort 2. Polemoniales 95- 99 



Cohort 3. Personales 100-105 



Cohort 4. Lamiales 106-110 



Subclass 3. Apetalce or Monochlamvdeae.l 11—136 



Series 1. Curvembryea; 111-116 



Series 2. Multiovulatae Terrestres. .117-118 



Series 3. Micrembrve^ 119-122 



Series 4. Daphneae 123-126 



Series 5. AchlamvdosporeiB 127-127 



Series 6. Unisexuales 128-134 



Series 7. Anomalous Families 135-136 



Class 2. Gymnosperms 137-1,39 



Subdivision 2. Monocotyledons or Endogens. 140-162 



Series 1. Microspermce 140-141 



Series 2. Epigynie 142—148 



Series 3. Coronaries 149-151 



Series 4. Calvcinse 152—153 



Series 5. Nudiflorse 154-158 



Series 6. Apocarp» 159-160 



Series 7. GUimacea> 161-102 



Division 2. Flowerless Plants or Cryptogams — 



Bryophvta I-IIT 



Pteridophyta IV-XVII 



PART 1.— SYNOPSIS OF ORDERS OR 

 FAMILIES. 



Division 1. Flowering Plants or Phanerogams : 

 those producing real flowers and seeds. 



Subdivision 1. DiroxYLEDONS or Exogkn's. Stems 

 formed of bark, wood and pith ; the wood forming a 

 zone between the other two, and increasing when the 

 stem continues from year to year by the annual addi- 

 tion of a new layer to the outside, next the hark. 

 Leaves usually netted-veined. Embryo with a pair of 

 opposite cotyledons or in Subdivision 2 often 3 or more 

 in a whorl. Parts of the flower mostly in fours or 

 fives. 



Class 1, Angiospekms. Pistil consistin!- of a 

 closed ovary, which contains the ovules : cotyledons 

 only 2. 



Subclass 1. PoLYPETAL-E. Calyx and corolla both 

 present, the latter of separate petals. (Certain forms 

 without petals or without perianth must be ranked 

 here instead of with the Apetalje. ) 



Series 1. Thalamifloe.e. Calyx mostly free from 

 ovary : petals often in 2 or more series, sometimes 1 



