INTRODUCTION. ,j^ 



starting, or there is some irregularity. He retraces his steps, and in sure 

 his prociiiuro has Iven correct. Let him begin again at Jfanuncuiacca: 

 and not regard the calyx. He then finds "Petals 2-15; carpels usually 

 numerous/' This he finds so, and the whole of Ranunculacrai will cor- 

 respond to this plant, lie may therefore conclude that his plant belongs to 

 this order; but of this he is not yet certain. Under Ifanurwulacea: he 

 finds five sulvonlers, and in the description of Anemonea, he finds that the 

 flowers have no petals, but that the sepals or leaves of the calyx, are pe- 

 taloid, or like petals; but the Achcnia, or seeds, as he would call them 

 have apptMidages, or tails, but those of his plant have none. 



The next two sub-orders have petals and sepals ; his plant has but one 

 kind of floral envelop. The fourth sulvorder will be found to include 

 the plant. By turning to the pages in the description of genera and spe- 

 cies, indicated by the figures after the genera, under the sub-order Ciwitci- 

 fugca, he will find no difficulty in determining this plant to be the 7^^- 

 lictrum Aneminoides. 



The student may ask, if the plant has no petals, why is it put among 

 the Polypetala; 1 And why is it not to be found among the ApetaJae ? — 

 The answer is, that it has notliing in common with any of the Apetala, 

 but the absence of the petals, while it agrees in constitution in every other 

 respect with the Ranunculaceie. The more important points of agreement 

 determine its position. The mere presence or absence of petals is of small 

 moment compared with the general construction and properties of the plant. 

 This example exhibits one of the worst cases with which the student will 

 meet, and it is on this account that I have taken it, that he may know at 

 the outset the nature of the difficulties he will have occasionally to encoun- 

 ter, and it will be only in the beginning of his course that such variations 

 will embarrass him. Patience, perseverance and hard thought will accom- 

 plish all, and without them, Utile can be expected on any subject. 



Another plant the student will be likely to find in blossom at this season, 

 is the Dog-tooth Violet. By examining the leaves, he finds the veins run- 

 ning from the base to the a{)ex ; he at once concludes it belongs to the class 

 Elndogcns. It has petals ; it therefore belongs to the sub-class Petaloideie. 

 and by turning to page xvi. of the Analysis, he finds the orders of this 

 sub-class divided into groups, according to the number of petals. The first 

 group, market! A. is distinguished by the plants of tliis group having ' Cor- 

 roUa and Calyx distinct ; Petals 3." In our specimen, there is no distinction 

 of corolla and calyx, all the leaves composing the floral envelop having 

 the same appearance, and in such cases the corolla and calyx are said to be 

 confounded. We pass, then, to the group B., '• Sepals and Petals confoun- 

 ded, usually C, colored.*' This is the case with the plant we are analyzing. 

 This group is sub-divided by arranging all the orders together, the plants 

 of which have the perianth superior, marked a.; those in which it is infe- 

 rior, marked b. Our plant plainly does not belong to the division «., since 



