INTRODUCTION. 131 



The botanical names of plants are all in Latin, or 

 are Latinized, this being the common language of 

 science everywhere. A little reflection will soon 

 convince an unprejudiced person of the wis- 

 dom of this long-established practice. For example, 

 Kentucky blue grass has quite a number of aliases 

 in different parts of the country ; but from St. Peters- 

 burgh in Europe to Kentucky in America, it is known 

 to botanists as Poa Pratensis. There are hundreds of 

 other similar cases that might be adduced, but the 

 above may be considered sufficient. 



In botanical nomenclature, or the language used 

 in describing the various organs or parts of plants 

 such as their leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, etc. terms 

 are used which cannot easily be avoided, but 

 which an ordinary English scholar, with a reason- 

 able amount of perseverance, may soon become ac- 

 quainted with. . . 



The generic or family character is a description of 

 what essentially distinguishes the genus ; the spe- 

 cific character a brief enumeration of the points in 

 which each species differs from others of the same 

 genus. 



In describing a plant, we first consider the root ; 

 then the stem, the leaves, the fulcra or supports, the 

 different parts which constitute the flower, and (in a 

 plant of grass) the seed. I will introduce and try to 

 explain a few of the terms which are used in describ- 

 ing each of the above-mentioned parts in the generic 

 and specific characters given in this work. And first, 

 in describing the roots, the terms usually employed 

 are* 



