INTRODUCTION. 



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various names given, as well as a full specific character, 

 or such as will exclude all other known plants, whereso- 

 ever found, can only attain this by consulting a General 

 Flora, such as De Candolle's Prodromus. 



It may be well to remark here that the figures which 

 precede the season of flowering of the plants in the de- 

 scriptive pages, viz. 0, ^, 1^, and ^, signify : 



(The Sun), implying that the plant is of annual duration, 



because the earth requires a year to perform its revolu- 

 tion round the sun. 



^ (Mars), a biennial plant, because that planet is two years in 

 performing a similar revolution. 



1/ (Jupiter), a perennial plant or root ; because of the great 



length of time, nearly 12 years, required by that planet 

 for such a revolution. 



r 



^2 (Saturn), a shrub or tree, which, living for a great number 



of years', is represented by a plant requiring nearly 30 

 years to revolve round the sun. 



Any peculiar terms employed, particularly among the 

 CompositcB and Grasses^ are explained at the commence- 

 ment of those orders. 



This volume terminates with the Ferns vrndi their allies, 



comprehending the Cryptogamic vascular plants: the rest 



of the Cryptogamiuy or the Cellulares of De Candollr, 



.,^ have however been published uniformly with the fifth 



;i^^f and previous editions of this work, constitutinor the secoml 



|i,^/orming the fifth volume, and completing the Flora of the 

 ^ iBritish Islands. 



Volume; and also with Sir J. E. Smith's English Flora, 



1st May, 1855 



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