Leaves netted-veined; embryo with a pair of opposite cotyledons, or rarely several in a whorl; flowers having their parts usually in fives or fours. Monocotyledonous, or endogenous plants, have stems with no manifest distinction into bark, wood and pith; hut the woody fibre and vessels collected into bundles or threads, which are irregularly imbedded in the cellular tissue; perennial trunks destitute of annual layers; Leaves mostly parallel-veined (nerved) and ing at the base, seldom separating by an articula tion, almost always alternate, or scattered and not toothed. Parts of the flower commonly in threes. Embryo with a single cotyledon (and the leaves of the plumule alternate). Indian corn, the other grasses, etc., are examples of the latter; the oak, elm, apple-tree and many others, are of the former. Species of plants are comprised of all individuals of the same kind, and are descended from a common stock. A genus is an assemblage of species which are much alike, especially in their flowers and fruit. Thus. flax is a genus made of similar species. Clover is a genus composed of 150 species. Pine is a genus, embracing as species White Pine, Yellow Pine, Pitch Pine, Long-leaved Pine, and many others. Individuals of the same species may differ some what among themselves, and these differences constitute varieties. Thus apple trees differ in their fruit, and there are hundreds of varieties although only one species. Roses differ in their form, color, and fragrance of their flowers, forming many varieties under each species. Nat ural orders are made up of genera. Just as simi lar species form a genus, so similar genera form natural orders. Thus individuals, form species, species form genera, and genera form orders. These, as previously stated, are again divided into the two sub-kingdoms—flowering plants and flowerless plants. The first called Phcenogamia and the latter Cryptogamia. Exogens have the wood in concentric rings or layers, formed year by year, the outer the newest. By counting these, one may form a definite idea of the age of the tree. The leaves of this class are net-veined, the flowers seldom or never completely three parted, and the seed two-lobed. The endogens have their wood, if any, confused, the inner portion being the newest. Their leaves are par allel-veined, flowers three-parted, and seeds one lobed. Exogens are of two forms, vessel seeded, called angiosperms, and naked seeded called gym nosperms. Exogens generally have pistils to the flowers, with young seeds inclosed in their ovaries. The pines, yews, etc., have no pistils, or at least no stigmas to their inflorescence, and produce naked seeds, and hence are called gym nosperm, from the compound Greek word sigui fying naked-seeded. The grasses, endogens, have their flowers enveloped in green alternate scales, glumes, instead of the circle of pistils common to other flowers. Thus the division is made into glume plants and glumeless plants, called glumiferce and petaliferce. Thus, all flower ing plants are divided into four classes, as fol lows: Angiosperms; exogens bearing stigmas and seed-vessels. Gymnosperms; exogens with no stigmas, and with naked seeds, as the pines, firs, larches, cedars, cypresses, yews, etc. Peta liferce; endogens with no glumes and ordinary flowers. Glumiferce; endogens with glumes instead of petals, as the Grasses, Sedges, Grains. Angiosperms may be readily distinguished .from gymnosperms, from the fact that nearly all the latter are cone-bearing, as the Pine, Cedar, Larch, etc. Below we give a tabular view of the natural system of classification of plants: 2. Leaves parallel-veined. Flowers three parted Endogene.
3. Stigmas present. Suede in aeed-veaaels Angioaperras.
3. Stigmas none. Seed() naked. Pines, spruces, etc Gymnoaperms, 4. Flowers without glumes, having petals, etc P taliferte.
4. Flowers with green, alternate glumea, no petals . Glumiferre.
5. Petals distinct and aeparate Polypetalte.
5. Pet as nnited more or leas Gamopetake.
5. Petals none Apetake.
(i. Tee cone-bearing plauta; as cedars, lurches Conoida.
7. Inflorescence a apadix Spadicifione.
7. Inflorescence not a apadix ....... Flor des.
8. Graas-like plants Grammoida.
9. Ferns, moaaca, lichens, sea-weeda, muahroome.
Abbreviations and scientific signs, often used in descriptive hotany (omitting contractions for signs of the compass, the months and the States, as being generally understood) are as follows: ach., acbenia. invol.. involncre.
vest., irreg.. irregular.
alter., alternate. leg. legume.
ant/t., anther. if., loaf ; /vs., leaves.
axill.. axillary. efts., leaflets.
C.. Common. ova., ovary.
cat.. calyx. pet.. petals.
caps., capsule. r . rare. uncommon.
car . corolla. recp . receptacle.
decid., deciduous. req , regular.
diarn., diameter. Mix., rhizome.
emarg.. emarginate. rt . root.
f orft., feet. sds.. A., filament. seg., aegmenta.
ft.. flower; Its., flowers. sep . sepala.
fr., fruit. st stem.
hd , head; hds., beads, sta.. stamens.
hyp.. hypogynoua. sag.. atigmaa.
imbr.. imbricate. sty., atylea.
inf., inferior.
f. (with or without the period) a foot.
(a single accent) denotes an inch (a twelfth of one toot). " (a double accent) a second, a line (a twelfth of an inch). O An annual plant.
0 A biennial plant.
2. A perennial plant.
A plant with a woody atem.
8 A ataminate flower or plant.
9 A pistillate flower or plant.
A perfect flower, or a plant bearing perfect flowers.
8 Moncecioua, or a plant bearing ataminate and pistillate flowers.
9 8 Diceciona; pistillate and ataminate flowers on sepa rate plants.
9 0 8 Polygamous: the aame epeciea, with pistillate, perfect, and ataminate flowers.
0 (a cipher) signifies wanting or none, as "Petals 0." § (placed after) a naturalized plant.
t (placed after) cultivated for ornament.
f (placed alter) cultivated for uac.
sc Indefinite or numeroua.
The very complete glossary, compiled by the late and lamented Dr. Darlington, will be found important and very interesting in connec 1. Flowering plants. (See No. 2) Phtenogamia.
1. Flowerless plants. (See No. 9) Cryptogamia.
2. Leaves net-veined. Flowers never quite three-parted Exogens.
tion with botany in its relation to ture. The reader will bear in mind, that where compound descriptive terms are employed the last member of the compound word is in tended to give the predominant character, and that the word or syllable prefixed merely indi cates a modification of that character; as for example Ovate-lanceolate signifies lanceolate, but inclining somewhat to ovate; while lance ovate means ovate with something of the lance olate form, etc. So of colors: yellowish-green, bluish-green, signify that green is the prevail ing hue, but that it is tinged with a shade of yellow, blue, etc. Terms indicative of the size of any organ, or portion of plant as large, small, or middle-sized, are of course, relative, and have reference to the usual or average size of such parts, or organs, in other species of the same genus, or family.
A; at the commencement of a word, signifies the absence of some part; as apetalous, destitute of petals. When the word c,immencea with a N uwel, an is prefixed.
Abnormal; different from the regular or usual structure. Abortion; an imperfect development of any organ. Abortive; not arriving at perfection; producing no fruit. Abrupt. Not gradual: sudden.
Abruptly acuminate; suddenly narrowed to an acumina tion.
Abruptly pinnate. (See Even-pinnate.) Acaulescent; apparently stemless.
Accessory; addit oval, or supernumerary.
Accumbent cotyledons; having the radicle applied to the cleft, ur recnrved along the edges of the cotyledons (re presented by this sign, o=), as in some Ornciferoua plants.