ORAMINE^. 



under tlie name of Scleropogon. His work would liave been muclt 

 more useful if he had more frequently given the eharaeter of the 

 tribes, genera, or other groups instead of limiting himself to 

 diehotomous keys. These keys when carefully drawn up are of 

 tJie greatest use as guides or indexes to direct the botanist where to 

 look for his plant, but are wholly insufficient for its identification 

 either generic or specific. For about sixty years I have had great 

 experience both in using and in making them. It was with the 

 aid of the admirable 'Analyses' in De Candolle's ' Floru iM-anyaise ' 

 that I was enabled in 1817 and 1818 to learn botany without any 

 extraneous teaching. Their principle was developed in the • Essay 

 on Nomenclature and Classification' which I published in 1823. 



1 have introduced them more or less into all my local floras. They 

 frequently require the repetition of the same plant under different 

 branches of the key. The best genera and other groups are usually 

 distinguished by a combination of characters. 



" In recent days, however, we had all been led to look up to my 

 much lamented friend, the late (Jeneral Munro, as the one who was 

 to unravel the intricate web into which the order had become in- 

 volved. Ills 'Monograph of' Bumbusea?,' and various detached 

 papers and communications, were instalments of great promise, 

 lie was known to have a thorough acquaintance with species, and 

 to have already formed a well-digested framework for genera and 

 tribes; he had amassed an immense number of notes, etc., for use 

 in DeCandoUe's Monograjjlis, but much of his knowledge I can only 

 gather from his conversation and (iorrespondencc. 



[For Dr. lientham's views on the teiminology of various parts of 

 Graminea? see vol. i. p. 33.] , 



"In Ciraminew we have a new element on the floral axis below 

 the stamens and pistil or actual flower, in the palen and lo(lirnle.Sy 

 for which we cannot at once fiiul any parallel in other orders. 

 They have recently been the subject of a very able paper in Engler's 

 /iofain'srJio Jalirhilrher (i. p. 330) by Professor llackel of Vienna. 



•• He comes to the conclusion that the palea and the pair of lodi- 

 cules (when only two) are each of them single, more or less bifid 

 organs, and that they and the third lodicule, when present, must 



