These facts serve to illustrate the idea that the frontiers of two very 

 widely separated forest regions lie within the borders of our state. What 

 is true of the trees in this regard is also strikingly illustrated by the 

 distribution of our native shrubs and by the herbaceous flora of the 

 state as well. The outline maps in the back of the booklet will show 

 these facts graphically in so far as our native trees are concerned. 



These distributional maps will be of interest also in showing the 

 portions of the state in which certain trees may probably be found. 

 The maps are very general, because of their small size, but they have 

 been prepared from all of the available data in the possession of the 

 Botanical Survey of Nebraska, and it is hoped that they will stimulate 

 the local investigation of our native trees. Not quite all of our native 

 species are included in the maps, but the range of the missing ones 

 may be learned by consulting the description of those species in the 

 body of the book. 



THE PURPOSE AND PLAN OF THE HANDBOOK 



The primary purpose of this handbook is to enable the people of 

 this state to identify our native trees and the common introduced species 

 of trees as well. The descriptions have been written in as simple and 

 untechnical language as possible and practically all technical terms 

 commonly employed in such works have been omitted, or the essential 



Leaf Margins 



Serrate Doubly serrate Dentate Crenate Undulate Sinuate Lobed 

 meanings of such terms have been rendered into more common terms. 

 The only semi-technical terms used are in connection with the des- 

 criptions of the leaves and flowers It is taken for granted that the 

 average person understands the common parts of a flower and is able 

 to recognize those structures at sight. Sepals, petals, stamens and 

 pistils (or ovaries) as the regular organs of flowers should be under- 

 stood by everyone, and so a detailed discussion of these things in this 

 popular work is not necessary. Most of the trees may be identified 

 without the flowers anyhow, which in all but a few cases are present 



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