viii PREFACE. 



with all his natural and acquired wants, which vary 

 according to climate. Such plants are generally termed 

 economical, which word must be accepted in its widest 

 sense — that is, not only as including plants that furnish 

 food, medicine, and clothing, but also those that furnish 

 materials for all mechanical and artificer's work, as also 

 ornamental and curious plants cultivated in gardens or 

 kept in museums, which to obtain forms an important part 

 of the trade and commerce with all countries. With reo^ard 

 to the adoption of common, or what are termed poj^ular, 

 names, it is unfortunate that many of them are vulgar 

 and undignified, and derogatory to the useful, pretty, 

 and curious plants which they designate, such as Aaron's 

 Beard, Jove's Beard, Job's Tears, Jacob's Ladder, Venus 

 Navelwort, Venus Looking-glass, Devil-in-a-bush, Fresh- 

 water Soldier, Mourning Widow, Adam's Needle, and Old 

 Man. It would be well if such names could be discarded, 

 but as they have been long familiar, we are left no 

 alternative but to adopt them. In many cases the 

 scientific names of plants have also become familiar — for 

 instance. Geranium, Pelargonium, Hydrangea, Calceo- 

 laria, Chrysanthemum, Amaranthus, Ehododendron, 

 Azalea, Fuchsia, and many others, are now as freely 

 spoken as if they were original words of our mother- 

 tongue ; such being the case, I have in the following 

 pages adopted the scientific name in cases having no 

 popular names. 



With regard to the selection of the subjects which 

 form the work, many more might be given, such as 

 fancy plants of taste and reputed medical plants of 

 which the virtues of many are fanciful ; but to have 

 done so would have enlarged the book beyond the size 



