APPENDIX 
SUGGESTIONS FOR BEGINNERS. 
1. The purpose of the keys is to make it possible to deter- 
mine the name of a plant from its structure. Though the ability to 
name plants should not be mistaken for a knowledge of botany, 
it is necessary for one who works with plants to be able to find 
out their names; and if one collects a plant and finds its name 
from a key he will learn something of its habitat, structure, life- 
history and relationship to other plants. 
2. The Latin or scientific name of a plant consists usually of 
two parts, as Prunus americana or Quercus macrocarpa. The first 
part is the name of the genus to which the plant belongs, thus 
Prunus includes the plums and cherries and Quercus all the oaks. 
The second part or species name limits it to a single kind of plants, 
as Prunus americana for the common wild plum and Quercus macro- 
carpa for the bur-oak. 
3. Sometimes some of the plants in a species differ from others, 
but the difference is not considered enough to make a new species. 
They are then considered a variety and this is indicated by adding 
a third part to the name, as Cichorium intybus divaricatum. 
4. As different men might apply the same name to different 
plants and thus lead to a confusion it is customary to add after each 
name the name, usually abbreviated, of the man who applied it. 
Sometimes a name is followed by a double citation of authors as 
Berteroa incana (L.) DC. This means ‘that Linnaeus first described 
the plant and gave it its species name, incana, but put it in the 
genus Alyssum, and DeCandolle transferred it to the genus Berteroa. 
5. Except for a few common plants the common or English 
names are almost worthless as the same name will be applied to 
different plants in different places and the same plant will be known 
by several names even in the same locality. Most of our native 
plants have no common names. : 
6. Genera are united into larger groups called families. The 
names of families are usually formed by adding the” ending aceae 
to the name of one of its genera, as Rosaceae for the rose family 
from Rosa. Families are grouped into orders named by adding ales 
to the name of one of its genera as Rosales for the order including 
the rose family and some other related families. Orders are grouped 
into classes and classes into phyla. 
