22 
INTRODUCTION. 
with flowers however and carefully examined 
generically; although it is not always easy to 
see well the minute floral characters of dry 
specimens. As to the inside of the seeds, their 
fallacious anatomical structures never perplex 
me ; I leave them to Anatomists with the in- 
side of roots and fibres : microscopical observa- 
tions are always useless for practical descrip- 
tive Botany, as all genera and families have 
outward evident floral forms peculiar to each. 
When plants have not been seen actually 
alive or dry, I quote as usual the books, au- 
thors or figures, that have imparted their 
knowledge; but few such plants will however 
be mentioned here, this being rather intended 
as a collection of my own observations : yet in 
complete monographs or revised Genera it will 
be needful to compare all the species and facts. 
It is to be regretted that our botanists too of- 
ten neglect the labors of their colleagues, by 
not comparing all previous or proposed spe- 
cies : whereby they can only give us imperfect 
monographs. 
Severul authors have mistaken foreign 
plants of distant regions for our own. Many 
such are found in Thunberg, Gmelin, Loureiro, 
&,c. that are different species from Japan, 
Sibiria or Anam. Decandole has recommend- 
ed to compare again every plant deemed native 
of several remote regions, and I shall often do 
it. 
