38 



INTRODUCTION. 



are stalked, whereas in the plant under examination they are 

 sessile. In V. Chamcedrys, they are egg-shaped and sessile, in 

 which respects they agree ; deeply serrate also, which is the 

 case ; and the stem has two opposite rows of long hairs, which 

 was a circumstance that attracted our notice at our first inspec- 

 tion of the plant. The name of the plant therefore is Veronica 

 Chamcedrys, the latter word being its specific, the former its 

 generic name. Its English name is seen to be Germander 

 Speed-well. 



The words " Clusters many-flowered ; leaves egg-shaped, ses- 

 sile, deeply serrate ; stem with two opposite rows of long white 

 hairs," form the specific character. After it a brief description 

 of certain parts of the plant is given, together with an indication 

 of its duration, time of flowering, place of growth, and some- 

 times its uses. Reference is then made to a figure of it in 

 Sir J. E. Smith's English Botany, and to a fuller description in 

 the English Flora of the same author. 



In this manner, the student proceeds with every plant that 

 he may procure. The assistance of a person already somewhat 

 proficient in the science, will be useful at the commencement, 

 but is not indispensable. Sometimes a plant may present itself 

 which is not found to belong to the class or order indicated 

 by its stamens and style. In this case there will be found a 

 reference in Italics, at the end of the generic table, to certain 

 genera, by turning to which it will be found. Thus, a plant 

 occurs with one stamen and one style, which we do not find to 

 correspond with the genera Salicornia, Jfippuris, Zostera, or 

 Chara. But we observe, after these genera, in the table, refer- 

 ence made to several plants, of which the first is Valeriana 

 rubra. We then turn to the Index for Valeriana, and finding 

 that genus at the page indicated, compare our plant with the 

 species, V. rubra, when we find it to agree. This is one of the 

 most puzzling circumstances connected with the examination of 

 plants, and arises from the impropriety of separating a species 

 from others of the same genus, although it may happen to differ in 

 the number of stamens or pistils. 



With these explanations, it is presumed that the student will 

 be enabled to use the following descriptive arrangement of 

 British Plants. Should a term occur, not included in the pre- 



