PREFACE 



THE author has endeavoured in this volume to present 

 his readers with a clear account of plant life in its whole 

 gamut, from the simplest microscopic forms to the most 

 specialized flowering plants. It is hoped that the result 

 of his efforts may be of some value to the amateur 

 botanist and the lover of nature. It may also happen 

 that this book will prove to be a useful, easy intro- 

 duction to the study of more technical works. 



Technical terms, which are the intellectual currency 

 of the botanist, and imply in a single word or phrase 

 what would be explained only in long sentences, have 

 not been entirely avoided. Indeed, the author has been 

 compelled to use a considerable number, but an effort 

 has been made to lead up to their use in easy sequence, 

 and to explain as tersely and clearly as possible what 

 they mean. The glossarial index will assist the reader 

 in discovering where the meanings of terms are explained. 



The early chapters deal with the so-called crypto- 

 gamic plants, and the author trusts that what he has 

 set down anent them may lead the amateur botanist, 

 who has hitherto given attention solely to flowering 



