74 BOTANY. 



many, hypogynous ; PISTIL, carpels, many, apocarpous, 

 superior. It has simple, exstipulate, alternate divided 

 leaves ; petiole spreading at base ; stem, erect ; flowers, in 

 a loose cluster ; juice, watery, acrid." 



Now, this is a description of a particular buttercup, 

 and yet it applies to all buttercups. Are all buttercups, 

 therefore, exactly alike ? By no means. They differ in 

 size, shape, thriftiness, number of blossoms, etc. ; but, in 

 our botanical description, we do not record these indi- 

 vidual peculiarities. 



Well, the points of form and structure in which all 

 buttercups agree that is, their permanent features are 

 called by botanists the characters of the buttercup. All 

 such unchanging features of plants are plant-characters. A 

 plant is an assemblage of characters, and the description 

 of a plant is but a list of its characters. 



Now, it is by comparing groups of characters that we 

 reach the idea of affinities. If, as we have seen, each plant 

 bears a fixed group of characters, the resemblance of one 

 plant to another is only the resemblance of one group of 

 characters to another. Let us make such a comparison 

 between the buttercup and the columbine. 



Do not rely upon the descriptions in the book, but 

 make similar tables yourself. 



BUTTERCUP. Flower. 

 Calyx. Sepals, 5, polysepalous, 

 inferior. 



Corolla. Petals, 5, polypeta- 

 lous, hypogynous, obcordate, 

 yellow. 



Stamens. oo, hypogynous. 



Pistil. Carpels, oo, apocar- 

 pous, superior. 



CCLUMBINE. Flower. 



Calyx. Sepals, 5, polysepalous, 

 inferior, colored like the pet- 

 als. 



Corolla. Petals, 5, polypeta- 

 lous, hypogynous, spurred, 

 red. 



Stamens. oo, hypogynous. 



Pistil. Carpels, 5, apocarpous, 

 superior. 



Comparing the above lists, you see agreements and 

 differences. The calyx and corolla of one plant agree 



