106 



OEDEE I. EANUNCULACEJE. 



PRESEEYATION OP SPECIMENS. 



It is usual for Botanists to preserve dried specimens of all the plants of their 

 acquaintance, for the sake of having them to refer to at their leisure. A good 

 specimen of the smaller herbaceous plants comprehends the whole, including 

 the root But in case of large herbs, or trees, such a portion of the stem is 

 taken as -will sufficiently represent the leaves, flowers, and fruit "When, how- 

 ever, the fruits or seeds are too large to be pressed, they should be preserve!! 

 separately, together with pieces of the wood of arborescent species. 



The next object is to extract the moisture. This is done by laying them in 

 sheets of soft bibulous paper, with six or eight thicknesses of the same, inter- 

 posed between. Then lay the pile between two perfectly level boards, and 

 subject them to a strong pressure, yet not sufficient to crash their pai-ts. Every 



day all the sheets, excepting those containing the plants, should be changed, 

 and their place supplied by others, fresli and dry. In a few days, varying with 

 the nature of the plants, they will he ready to remove from the press. 



These specimens, thus prepared, are attached by white glue each one either 

 to a separate sheet or a half sheet, of fine white firm paper. The Botanical 

 name, locality, and any circumstance you may wish to preserve, are written on 

 the corner. The sheets are now to be arranged according to their genera and 

 specie?. They may he collected in folios, or lie flat preserved on the shelves 

 of a cabinet; but in all eases tliey must be kept in a perfectly dry place. Some 

 odorous substance, such as camphor-gum, or musk, should be placed among 

 them, to preserve them ftom insects. Such a collection is usually termed an 

 Heebaeium. 



OEDEKS OF THE NATUKAL SYSTEM. 



SERIES I— PHJ5N0GIAMIA. 



Plants "with a regular axis of growth, usually furnished "with 

 proper leaves and real flowers, "which contain proper stamens, or 

 pistils, or both, and produce real seeds containing an embryo, 

 destined, by germination, to become a future plant. 



CLASS I.— EXOGEN^. 



Plants "whose stems are more or less capable of being distin- 

 guislied into an external bark, a central pith, and an intervening 

 portion "which in perennial stems is "woody, and is increased by 

 annual layers next the bark, "which also increases by annual 

 layers on the inside. Leaves net-veined. Flo"wer3, "when sym- 

 metrical, with their parts in fives or fours, rarely in threes. Seeds 

 "with two or more opposite, or verticillate cotyledons. 



SUB-CLASS I. ANGIOSPERMiE. 



Ovules inclosed in a proper ovary, and fertilized by the pol- 

 len through a proper stigma. Cotyledons two. 



SECTION I. POL"n'ETAX^ 



Flowers with at least t"wo series of floral envelopes, and the 

 corolla consisting of several distinct petals. 



Polypetalous Plants not included under Po^jpetalcB. 



Order LXVIIL — Ericaceae. Leaves, -when present, alternate, 

 simple. Flowers perfect. Petals equal, 4 or 6. Stamens 8 or 

 10, distinct. Style 1. Shrubs; or else acauleseent, or leafless 

 herbs. 



Order LXIX — Aquifoliacese. Shrubs. Petals 5, linear. 

 Stamens 5, distinct. Stigmas 3 or 4 



Order LXXIV. — PlumbaginacesE. Acauleseent herbs. Sta- 

 mens 5. Styles 6. 



Order XCL — Oleaoese. Shrubs. Stamens 2. Petals 4, linear. 



Order CVIL — ^Euphorbiacese. Evergreen shrubs, "with monoe- 

 cious flo"wers. 



Order dtX. — Juglandacese. Trees "with monceoious flowers ; 

 the barren flowers in aments. 



P6lypetali2 proper. 



Group 1. — Leaves flat, in aquatic species much dissected, 

 alternate, or all radical, rarely opposite or verticillate. Sepals 

 distinct, 3 or more. Corolla regular or irregular. Stamens in- 

 serted on the receptacle, distinct, more than 10 ; or else 6 or 8, 

 and opposite the 6 or 8 equal petals. Ovaries simple, numerous, 

 or few, rarely single. Orders L — V. inclusive. 



Geoup 2. — Herbs "with alternate, or radical leaves. Flo"wers 



perfect. Corolla regular. Petals never 5, except in plants "with 

 tubiilar leaves. Stamens 18, or more, inserted on the receptacle, 

 distinct. Orders VL' — X. inclusive. 



Geoup 3. — Herbs with alternate, or radical, not succulent, 

 leaves. Flowers perfect. Sepals ne.arly or quite distinct, and 

 regular ; not spurred. Petals 4 or 5, not fugacious, sometimes 

 cohering in pairs. Stamens inserted on the receptacle; when 

 more than 6, always distinct. Ovary free from the calyx, or ad- 

 herent only at base ; becoming in fruit a 1 or 2-eelled capsule, or 

 pod. Orders XL — XVL inclusive. 



Geoup 4. — Herbs ; or yellow-flo"wered shrubs. Leaves simple. 

 Flowers perfect. Corolla regular. Stamens not monadelphous ; 

 never inserted on the calyx, except when the petals are in several 

 rows. Styles fewer than the stamens ; or else both are 2 or 3 in 

 number. Orders XVIL — XXH. inclusive. 



Gkoup 5. — Leaves alternate. Stamens 20 or more, not insert- 

 ed on the calyx. Orders XXHL — XXVL inclusive. 



Geoup 6. — Herbs; sometimes suffruticose. Flowers perfect. 

 Stamens not inserted on the calyx. Fruit of 3 — 5 carpels, or a 8- 

 5-celled capsule. Orders XXVII. — ^XXXIII. inclusive. 



Group 7. — ^Trees, shrubs, or woody vines. Stamens 10 or 

 less ; distinct. Ovary free from the calyx, or adhering only at 

 the base. Fruit never a legume. Orders XXXIV. — XLI. in- 

 clusive. 



Group 8. — Flowers more or less irregular ; rarely regular, and 

 the fruit a legume. Stamens 10 or less. Orders XLII. and XLIII. 



Group 9. — Leaves alternate or opposite ; not fleshy. Stamens 

 more than 10; distinct; inserted on the calyx. OrdersXLIV. — 

 XLVI. inclusive. 



Group 10. — Flowers perfect. Stamens distinct, inserted on 

 the calyx. Style 1, sometimes 2-cleft. Orders XLVII. — LI. in- 

 clusive. 



Group 11. — Flowers moncBcious, polygamous, or perfect. 

 Stamens united in 1 or more sets ; or else distinct, and inserted on 

 the calyx. Orders LII. — LVI. inclusive. 



Group 12. — Stamens 4 or 5, inserted upon the disk, which 

 crowns the ovary. Calyx-tube adherent to the ovary. Orders 

 LVIL— LIX. inclusive. 



GEO¥P I. 



Order I. — Ranunculacese. 



Herbs sometimes climbing, with a colorless acrid juice 

 Leaves mostly alternate, and much divided. Petioles usually 

 sheathing at base. Sepals 3 — 6, usually 5, hypogynous, mostly 

 deciduous. Petals 3 — 15, mostly 5, rarely united, or wanting. 

 Stamens indefinite, hypogynous, distinct. Ovaries indefinite, 

 rarely few, or solitary. Embryo minute, at the base of the horny 

 or fleshy albumen. 



