CHAPTER XVI 



MONOCOTYLEDONS 



155. Classification. The Angiosperms are so numerous 

 that it requires much time through several seasons to get 

 acquainted fairly well with them in any one neighborhood. 

 The elementary student should begin at once to cultivate 

 this acquaintance by learning to recognize the most promi- 

 nent groups and the most common representatives of each 

 group. For example, there should be no difficulty usually 

 in recognizing whether a given plant is a Monocotyledon or a 

 Dicotyledon; since the floral number, the venation, and the 

 stem arrangement of vascular bundles will determine that 

 in most cases. 



In each of these two great divisions of Angiosperms, 

 however, there are numerous families, and one should be- 

 come acquainted early with the most conspicuous families 

 of a neighborhood. For example, a very conspicuous 

 family of the Monocotyledons in every neighborhood is 

 that which contains the grasses; but in every neighbor- 

 hood there will occur also ten to twenty other prominent 

 families of Angiosperms that deserve recognition. 



A family is made up of smaller groups called genera 

 (singular genus). For example, in the great family to 

 which the asters belong, the different asters resemble 

 one another more than they do any other members of the 

 family; and so there is the aster genus. In the same family 

 the different goldenrods are grouped together in a golden- 

 rod genus. The different kinds of aster or of goldenrod 

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