104 2 
HOW PLANTS ARE CLASSIFIED AND STUDIED. 
330. Signs and Abbreviations used in the Popular Flora. These are very few and 
easily understood. 
The signs for degrees (°), minutes ('), and seconds (") are used for size or height ; 
the first for feet, the second for inches, and the third for lines or twelfths of an inch 
Accordingly 1° or 2° means one or two feet long or high, as the case may be. 
And V or 2 7 means one or two inches long or high. 
And 1" or 2" means one or two lines or twelfths of an inch long. 
An asterisk or star before the name of a genus — as * Fennel-flower and 
*Peony on p. 113, or * Radish, *Turnip, ^Candytuft, &c. on p. 125 — denotes 
that there are no wild species of that genus in this country, but they are to be met 
with only as cultivated plants. 
§ This mark stands for section of a genus, or a subgenus , i. e. a section almost 
distinct enough for a genus. See under Magnolia, p. 117 ; also p. 147, where 
Pyrus , § Sorbus, and Pyrus , § Malus , &c. denote that Sorbus and Mains are only 
sections or subgenera of the genus Pyrus. 
To save room, the name of the genus generally is not printed in full under each 
species. So, under Virgin’s Bower, p. 113, the first species, Wild Virgin’s 
Bower, is given in full. In the second, “ Swf.f.t V.” stands for Sweet Virgin’s 
Bower. Also, as to the scientific name, U C. Flammula ” stands for Clematis Flam- 
mula , — and so elsewhere. 
N., S., E., and W., which are occasionally added after the description of a 
species, stand for North, South, East, and West, and indicate the part of the coun- 
try where the plant naturally grows. For example, the Long-fruited Anemony, 
p. 114, is found North and West (N. and W.), &c. When there is no such refer- 
ence, the species may be found in almost any part of the Northern United States. 
FI. is an abbreviation for flowering, or sometimes for flower. P. 115, line 1, 
&c. “ FI. spring,” means flowering in spring, “ FI. summer,” line 8, means flowering 
in summer. Cult, is an abbreviation. for cultivated. 
Accents. In the Latin or scientific names, the syllable upon which the accent 
falls is marked with a ' or \ When the accented vowel has a long sound, it is 
marked v ; as Anemone , p. 115, Aconitum , p. 116. When the vowel has the short 
sound, it is marked ' ; as Clematis and Hepatica , p. 115. 
All Latin or Latinized names, when of only two syllables, take the accent on 
the first syllable, and therefore do not need to be marked. 
