COMPARING AND CLASSIFYING PLANTS. 65 



we made use of the buttercup and columbine to learn 

 the meaning of affinity in botany, a little further 

 statement about them will, perhaps, be helpful be- 

 fore we pass to the regular work of the exercise. 



The buttercup is said to be more thrifty, more at 

 home in low, damp places. It is like frogs in this 

 respect ; and, because of this, it is named after them. 

 Its botanical name is Ranunculus, from Eana, a frog. 

 The Kanunculus has certain characters with which you 

 are familiar. Now, when you find other plants which 

 are very much like it, that is, which present nearly the 

 same group of characters, particularly those of cohe- 

 sion and adhesion, you class them with it, you say 

 they belong with the buttercup ; or, in more botani- 

 cal language, they belong to the Kanunculacese. In 

 some regions this plant, from the form of its leaf, is 

 called the Crowfoot, and plants closely resembling it 

 are said, therefore, to belong to the Crowfoot family. 

 Now, the resemblance of the columbine to the butter- 

 cup entitles it to belong to the Ranunculacese. The 

 monk's-hood and larkspur also belong to the same 

 family, and this will give you some idea of the degree 

 of similarity that should exist between members of 

 one family. 



Our object in the present exercise is, to fix upon 

 a method by which to begin the work of classifying 

 plants, by comparing the groups of characters they 

 present, and putting together those that are most 

 alike. 



Get a pocket note-book. Write in it, boldly and 

 plainly, the flower-schedules of the following plants : 

 Buttercup, shepherd' s-purse, mustard or radish, catch- 



