108 BULLETIN OF THE 



some even this imperfect description might furnish a fair idea of 

 our vegetable scenery without actually seeing it. 



Classification Adopted. 



In endeavoring to conform to the latest authoritative decisions 

 relative to the most natural system of classification, I have followed, 

 with one exception, the arrangement of the Genera Plantarum of 

 Bentham and Hooker so far as this goes, and the accepted authori- 

 ties of Europe and America for the remainder. For the Gamopetalce 

 after Compositce, however, covered by Prof. Gray's Synoptical Flora 

 of North America, I have followed that work which is substantially 

 in harmony with the Genera Plantarum. In the arrangement of 

 the orders, too, for the Pobypetaloz, Mr. Sereno Watson's Botanical 

 Index has in all cases been conformed to, as also not materially 

 deviating from the order adopted by Bentham and Hooker. In the 

 genera there are numerous discrepancies between the works last 

 named, and in the majority of these cases the American authorities 

 have been followed. For example, Bentham and Hooker have 

 thrown Dentaria into Cardamine, Elodes into Hypericum, and Am- 

 pelopsis into Vitis, and Pastinaca and Archemora into Peucedanum. 

 The change of Spergularia to Lepigonum is adopted, as well as a 

 few alterations in orthography where the etymology seemed to 

 demand them, as Pyrus to Pirus and Zanthoxylum to Xanthoxylum. 

 I have also declined to follow Bentham and Hooker in the changes 

 which they have made in the terminations of many ordinal names. 

 The termination aceoz is. doubtless quite arbitrary in many cases, 

 and, perhaps, cannot be defended on etymological grounds but as 

 a strictly ordinal ending it has done good service in placing botanical 

 nomenclature on a more scientific footing. It is also true that the 

 old system does not always employ it, as in some of the largest 

 orders, e. g. Crucifero3, Leguminosce, Compositoz, Labiatoz ; but what- 

 ever changes are made should rather be in the direction of making 

 it universal than less general. Bentham and Hooker do not adopt 

 a universal termination, neither do they abolish the prevailing one, 

 and they retain it in the majority of cases ; but in certain cases, for 

 which they doubtless have special reasons, they substitute a dif- 

 ferent one, and one which is often far less euphonious. The follow- 

 ing are the orders represented in this catalogue in which the ter- 



