XXV 
SYNOPSIS 
OP THE 
NATURAL ORDERS OF BRITISH PLANTS. 
This Synopsis has been prepared for the purpose of facilitating 
the discovery of the Obder to which an unknown plant belongs. 
It is on the plan of the Analytical Keys used by the French 
School of botanists, but slightly modified so as to be less likely 
to mislead. The student must always commence with the pair 
of characters numbered 1 in the left-hand margiti ; having de- 
termined with which of these his plant agrees, proceed similarly 
with the group of characters refen-ed to by the number on the 
right-hand side of the page, and so on. 
For instance, having gathered a Haiothorn, he finds it to agree 
with the second character of nurtiber 1, t\\& Jirst of number 3, 
the second of numbers 4 and 31, and the first of nmuber 32. It 
therefore belongs to Order xxvi. Rosacea and Suborder PoME^a;. 
Then turning to the body of the Manual (p. 88), he will ex- 
amine the specimen by the characters given for that Order and 
its Suborder. Finding it to agree with them, a perusal of the 
generic definitions placed imder Pome^ will show that it is a 
Crat(egus. After a little experience in the examination of 
plants, the eye becomes so familiar with the principal Orders as 
to render this process unnecessary, except in doubtfid cases. It 
must always be cautiously employed, as a very slight en-or will 
totally mislead. Often more convenience will be found in the 
use of the Linnean Synopsis, where the Haivthorn belongs to 
Class xii. IcosANDRiA, from having 20 or more stamens inserted 
on the calyx ; and as the whole gi-oup belongs to the Natural 
Order Rosaceje, that is again referred to for the generic cha- 
racter. 
1 Leaves straight-veined 2 
Leaves net-veined 3 
2 Seeds in a seed-vessel 65 
Seeds apparently naked on an axiUary scale or in a fleshy 
cup and solitary 63 
3 Fl. with a calyx and corolla 4 
Fl. with a perianth (calyx undistinguishable from co- 
rolla) or none 52 
h 
