VI PREFACE. 



S&reno Watson's Botany of the AOth Parallel, and in its Ari- 

 zona and New Mexican section, Dr. Rothrock's Botany of the 

 Wheeler Survey. The third region is that which this manual 

 attempts to provide for, its only predecessor being the Synop- 

 sis of the Flora of Colorado, already referred to. Essentially, 

 therefore, the range includes Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, 

 Western Dakota, Western Nebraska, and Western Kansas, 

 the hundredth meridian representing very nearly the eastern 

 boundary. While this is true, the larger part of contiguous 

 floras also will be found described, so that the western part 

 of the Indian Territory, Northwestern Texas, Northern New 

 Mexico and Arizona, and Eastern Utah and Idaho, may be 

 included for all except their own peculiar plants. In Utah, 

 our range is naturally carried westward by the Uinta and Wah- 

 satch Mountains, whose plants are intended to be included. 



This edition only claims to be a compilation, an orderly 

 arrangement and sifting of scattered material. The chief 

 reason is, that first editions are necessarily incomplete, and 

 that materials for the satisfactory presentation of a flora most 

 quickly come from the provocation of an incomplete edition. 

 The author will therefore esteem it the surest evidence of 

 the usefulness of this book, if in the abundance of correc- 

 tions called forth a more complete edition may be attempted 

 at an early day. 



It is unnecessary to give all the sources of descriptions and 

 information, as it would simply be a catalogue of the very 

 numerous contributions to western botany. The professional 

 botanist will notice that descriptions have been chiefly obtained 

 from the Botany of California, Botany of King's Expedition, 

 and Eaton's Ferns of North America, all constantly influenced 

 by Gray's Manual ; and .that the presentation of Gamopetalae 

 is little more than a culling from Dr. Gray's recent volumes of 

 the Synoptical Flora of North America. As in most cases de- 

 scriptions and synoptical arrangement could be obtained from 

 the writings of Dr. Gray, Mr. Watson, and Professor Eaton, 

 little more is attempted in this edition than to adapt these 

 descriptions to the spirit of the work with as little change as 



