THE GRAMINE^E. 



175 



Inflorescence ? Panicle. 



Glumes ? 2. 



Outer palet ? i. 



Palet ? i. 



Lodicules ? 2. 



Stamens ? 3. 



Styles ? 2. 



In Fig. 465 are seen the palet, squamulae, stamens, and 

 pistil. The oat may be thus described : 



Compare a plant of In- 

 dian corn, when in blossom, 

 with the following descrip- 

 tion : 6 flowers in a terminal 

 panicle of racemes known 

 as the tassel ; spikelets two- 

 flowered; glumes herbaceous, 

 palets membranous ; anthers 

 three, linear. $ flowers in 

 an axillary spike, partially imbedded in the rachis, known 

 as the cob, the bracts forming its spathe being the husks ; 

 lower flower of each spikelet consisting of two palets, abor- 

 tive ; glume broad, thick, membranous, obtuse ; styles, very 

 long, filiform, exserted and pendulous, forming the silk ; 

 kernels in eight, ten, twelve, or some even number of rows. 



The further study of orders, genera, and species may 

 be pursued with the aid of the Flora. 



The botanical name of a plant is the name of its ge- 

 nus followed by that of the species. The generic name 

 may be compared to the surname or family name of a per- 

 son, as Jones or Smith, and the specific name to the given 

 or baptismal name, as James or William. The botanical 

 names are in Latin, that the botanists of all countries may 

 have a common language. The name of the genus comes 

 before that of the species. Thus, in naming the members 

 of the oak genus, the scientific name of the white oak is 

 Quercus alba, Quercus being the generic name, and alba 

 that of the species. The red oak has the name Quercus 

 rubra ; the black oak, Quercus mgra. The name of the 

 genus is a substantive, and that of the species an adjective. 

 ORDERS are commonly named from their most representa- 

 tive genus, thus : Ranunculacece, from the genus Ranuncu- 

 lus ; Rosacece, from the genus Rosa, 



