vi PREFACE. 
published by other writers, this book differs 
mainly in two respects: in the first place, by the 
choice of the distinctive characters, of which 
those were preferred which are visible to the 
naked eye at the time of flowering, whilst the 
characters of the fruit and seeds were only used 
in the absence of others; in the second place, by 
being more accurate, since less important aberra- 
tions from the normal type of the order (exclud- 
ing, however, quite rare ones) were also taken 
into consideration. The number, denomination, 
and description of the natural orders is exactly 
the same asin Bentham and Hooker’s “ Genera 
Plantarum.” Readers not yet familiarised with 
the technical terms used in botany will find them 
concisely explained in Bentham’s “ Outlines of 
they are reprinted in 
) 
Elementary Botany ;’ 
several colonial floras. Having found the name 
of the order, it will afford no difficulty to ascer- 
tain the name of the genus with the help of the 
above-named manual or a flora of the country in 
question. I hope, therefore, that this little work 
may in some degree contribute to a more ex- 
tended knowledge of exotic plants, and may be 
of some use to their friends. 
FRANZ THONNER. 
DreEsDEN, July, 1895. 
