COMPARING AND CLASSIFYING PLANTS. 



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You have been classifying the parts of plants ever since 

 you commenced observing them. For instance, those with 

 parallel-veined leaves have been classed by themselves, 

 and those with flowers in umbels have been classed to- 

 gether, and kept distinct from such as blossom in heads 

 and panicles ; but your groupings have thus far been made 

 upon single features of plants. Now, however, you know 

 their parts so well that you can begin to compare whole 

 plants with each other. 



If, for example, you have put into one group all square- 

 stemmed plants, simply because they have square stems, it 

 is time to consider whether these plants are alike in other 

 respects. " Oh, yes," some of you will say ; " they have 

 opposite leaves." Well, look at their inflorescence ; do 

 they all agree in that ? Is it always axillary ? Are the 

 flowers similar in all the square-stemmed plants you know? 

 When you have answered these questions, you will under- 

 stand what I mean by studying plants as wholes. 



Provide yourself with the following plants : The but- 

 tercup (which is found almost everywhere), the wild col- 

 umbine, and the poppy. If the columbine is not to be 

 found, get monk's-hood, or larkspur, or anemone, and pro- 

 ceed with them in the way pointed out for the columbine. 

 If the poppy can not be found, you might substitute blood- 

 root or celandine. Having got the plants, proceed accord- 

 ing to the plan laid down, and do not accept the statements 

 or conclusions of the book, unless, on comparing them with 

 your own plants, you see that they are true. 



There are two botanical expressions of which, at the 

 outset, you should learn the meaning. One of these is the 

 characters of plants, and the other the affinities of plants. 

 And, first, what is meant by plant-characters ? 



If you will describe a buttercup, I think we can easily 

 find just what is meant. 



You say, " CALYX, sepals, 5, polysepalous, inferior ; 

 COROLLA, petals, 5, polypetalous, hypogynous ; STAMENS, 



