viii Preface 



Every step aims to be a step in advance. The scien- 

 tific botanist, a term correlary to that of ''closet Nat- 

 uralist" used in Ornithology, still does, and always 

 will, analyze his flowers. The layman, however, has 

 no interest in whether the seeds have copious albu- 

 men, or not, or in the number of cells in the plant 

 ovary; he sees a flower, it may be beautiful, it may 

 be odd or even its very ugliness may attract his at- 

 tention, but he wants to know what it is. To such 

 seekers, and they include the majority of Nature lov- 

 ers, scientific botany is as a foreign tongue, but the 

 popular book with the colored pictures furnishes an 

 open key to knowledge. 



That is why this book appears: We do not claim 

 it to be perfect, for we know its shortcomings. But, 

 in so far as it lies in our power, it has been made to 

 serve the most people to their best advantage, taking 

 into consideration the limitations set upon size and 

 upon price. 



Flowers vary endlessly in size, in color and shape. 

 Some have simple stems, others are very branchy and 

 bushlike in appearance. Obviously if we attempted 

 to draw the whole of a branching plant, reducing it 

 down to the size of a small page, the flowers would be 

 so tiny they could barely .be seen. In all cases it has 

 been our object to show the flower and that part ol 

 the plant that will best serve to identify it. In nearly 

 every case the typical form of flower and of leaf is 

 shown. 



To as great an extent as is practical, all technical 

 terms have been avoided. In order, however, that 

 one may if he wish learn the meanings of the botani- 

 cal, terms that are in very common use, a Glossary 

 is provided. 



