ESSENTIALS OF BOTANY 
INTRODUCTION 
Botany is the science of plants. It considers them as 
individuals, treating of their development, form, structure, 
and functions, and also as dwellers in plant communities, 
with complicated relations to each other and the world 
about them. One important division of the science, 
taxonomic botany, deals with plants as members-of the 
plant kingdom and discusses their kinship, tracing their 
descent from remote common ancestors. 
The study of botany may well begin with a rapid exam- 
ination of one of the higher plants, to get an idea of its 
parts and their connection. Later on, some or all of the 
topics above suggested may be entered upon as fully as 
can be done in the time available for the entire subject 
of botany. Finally, a brief study may be undertaken of 
some of the uses of plants to man, that is, of the rudiments 
of economic botany. 
The Nasturtium (Tropzolum).! 
A. The Entire Plant. Dig up a plant so as to preserve most of the 
larger roots and wash the earth from them. Note the three sets of 
1 Any seed-plant of convenient size, with rather large and conspicuous 
flowers, will answer for this study. Some of the most available types for use 
at the beginning of the school year are Petunia, Ipomea, Salvia, Pelargonium, 
Impatiens, Mimulus, Linaria, Antirrhinum. 
1 
