INTRODUCTION XXXIX 



any fruit on our specimen, the short pod which is not flattened 

 but inflated, and contains a number of seeds,, and the unnotchcd 

 petals suggest the genus Cochkaria, tl-e Scurvj'-grass. On turn'ng 

 to the descripti'in ol this genus on p. 49 ue'find that it includes 

 three or lour British species; but th;a, amoni; these, tlic stallccd 

 deltoid leaves and epg-shaped pod show our sjiecimcn to le C. 

 dduiia, the Danish Scur\y-grafs. 



By puzzling out every plant he meets with in this manner the 

 student fixes their distinctive structural characters in his mind, 

 and acc]iiires a far more valuable knowledie of plants than he 

 would get by being told their names, by identifying them from 

 pictures, or by any artificial key. 



. TABULAR VIEW OF THE NATURAL 

 ORDERS 



Sub-kingdom. SpennatophyUs or Phduerogaim. — Plants pro- 

 ducing flowers and seed. 



Division i. Augiosponis. — Plants having their ovules in 

 closed ovaries. 



Ci-^ss I. Drotxledons. — Plants having two cotvledons,^ net- 

 veiiied lea\es and floral leaves 111 whorls of 5, 4, or 2. (pp. i- 

 456.) 



Sub-Cl.\ss I. Polypitalii. — Having both calyx and corolla, 

 and the petals of the latter free.- (pp. 1-22S.) 



Skries I. IhalamiflorL^. — Petals and stamens hypog^-nous ; 

 oavry superior.' (pp. 1--107.) 



§ 0^•ary apocarpous 



Order i. Ravuncii!d:Ci-E (The Buttercup Family). — Except 

 Clematis, herbs with watery, generall)- acrid juice ; scattered 

 leaves ; sepals 3 or more ; petals usuallv 5 ; stamens usually 

 indefinite ; fruit of achenes or follicles i witlx no cohesions in the 

 flower, (p. I.) 



Order 2. Berberidea (The Barberry Family). — Shrubs with 

 scattered leaves ; polysymmetric flowers ; sepals 6 — 9 : petals 6 ; 

 stamens 6 ; opening by valves; fruit berry-like. (p. 20.) 



1 .'Almost ever}' cliaracter is in nature subiect to exceptions ; thus the Oak has often three 

 cotyledons, the Dodder hardly a vestige of any, 



- Flower.s without corolla occur in Ranunculaceas, Crnciferx,' ^'io!acea^, Carvophvtlacea;, 

 RosacecE, Sa.Nifrajese. Halorase^, Lvthracea:. Ona^raccEe. Petals more or less coherent 

 occur in Fiimariacea^, Polygalacea;, Portulice^, Tamaricinejei Malvaceae, Ilicineas, Cra5- 

 suldcea?, and Cucnrbitacea. ^ 



■^ Stamens apparently springing from a pen^-nous disk in Cii^talia. (NymphasicejE). 



