PREFACE of the TRANSLATORS. iii. 



of molles, and the fkin beneath the heads of mufh- 

 rooms. All this muft be explained, whether it is 

 reprefented by the word calyx^ or by the word im- 

 palement ; which latter, though ufed by fome of the 

 writers above-mentioned, is as difficult to the englifli 

 fcholar, as the word calyx ; is not underftood by thoie 

 who are already acquainted with the language of 

 LiNNEUs ; and does not affift the young Botanift in 

 his ftudy of the original. 



So the word Legumen means a pod, in which all the 

 peas or feeds are attached to the upper edge or future; 

 Siliqua a pod in which they are alternately attached to 

 the upper and under one. If the former fhould be 

 termed pelU and the latter fod^ they muft ftill be 

 defined ^ and thus the meaning of them would be as 

 difficult to acquire by the engiiili reader as that of the 

 words legumen, and filiqua ; and would be fo unin- 

 telligible to the latin Botanift, that they could not con^ 

 njerje togethdr. 



Hence we have retained the words calyx for flower^ 

 cup ; coral for bloffom ^ Jlamen for chive \ pijlil for 

 pointal ; pericarp for fruit veflel ; and fome other 

 technical terms ; fuch as would necejfarily be ufed tn an 

 englijh con'verjation by Botanijis acquainted with the 

 original ^ Linneus ; to thefe words v/e found it 

 neceflary to give englifh terminations, becaufe their 

 diminutives and their participles frequently occur in 

 the courfe of the work, and they are fometimes com- 

 pounded with other words ; thus corolla is tranllated 

 CoroU petalum PetaU anthera Anther^ pznicul^L Panicle, 

 verticillus Ferticil, for the purpofe of ufmg corollet^ 

 five-petard, anther-bearings panic led, verticil' dy and 



the 



