COMPARING AND CLASSIFYING PLANTS. 



63 



characters in which they agree; and, second, upon 

 the number of characters in which they agree. 



The characters of plants differ in importance. 

 Such kinds of character as color, size, and odor, 

 being usually more variable than such kinds as 

 position, size, and number, they are said to be less 

 important than these. The characters of the leaf, 

 for the same reason, are not usually as important as 

 the characters of the flower. In the beginning of 

 study, you may safely assume that those plants are 

 most alike, have the strongest affinities, that re- 

 semble each other most in the characters recorded in 

 the cohesion and adhesion columns of the schedule. 



To make this plainer, compare the poppy and 

 buttercup, as, before^ you compared the columbine 

 and buttercup. 



BUTTERCUP. 



Calyx. Sepals, 5, 

 lous, inferior. 



Corolla. Petals, 5, polypeta- 

 lous, hypogynous. 



Stamens. Polyandrous, hypo- 

 gynous. 



Pistil. Carpels, many, apo- 

 carpous, superior. 



Leaves. Net- veined, divided. 



Juice. Watery. 



POPPY. 



Calyx. Sepals, 2, polysepa- 

 lous, inferior. 



Corolla. Petals, 4, polypeta- 

 lous, hypogynous. 



Stamens. Polyandrous, hypo- 

 gynous. 



Pistil. Carpels, many, syn- 

 carpous, superior. 



Leaves. N"et-veined, divided. 



Juice. Milky. 



To find which has the strongest affinity for the 

 buttercup, the columbine, or the poppy, all that is 

 necessary, at present, is, to ascertain which of them 

 is nearest like the buttercup in respect to cohesion 

 and adhesion of the parts of the flower. 



