This book is included in the Outdoor Survival Basics section.
Introduction
This book was written primarily on account of the great need for some such work in the schools of the Northwest. Geographically it covers Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and the coastal region of southwestern British Columbia.
The usual limited spring flora omits so many plants that the user must know beforehand the name of the particular plant whose name he is seeking, in order that he may find by the index whether the book includes or omits it. This is absurd. Usually there is a species description, whose necessary brevity often makes it do equally well for a number of species not included.
In this book the keys are complete so far as they go, except in a very few genera of grasses, in which the limits are expressly stated. This will enable teachers to hand out for analysis plants they do not themselves know. This is specially desirable in the Northwest, where teachers may move to other schools only a hundred miles away and find a tremendous change in the flora. It is unreasonable in the Northwest to expect teachers of botany to know all the local plants, even though they may have specialized in the subject in an undergraduate course.
The distinguishing characteristics of a plant are mostly given in the keys. Species descriptions are little more than a repetition of these, together with a number of others too general to distinguish anything definitely. It is a waste of space to repeat so often in species descriptions, while omitting so much that is wanted in the keys in an elementary flora, since small cost, and therefore small size, is one of the primary requisites.
The persistent and regrettable tendency of taxonomic botanists to elevate varieties to specific rank has resulted in the separation of the species of many genera on such minute or trifling characteristics that in the opinion of the writers it is not advisable in many cases for the beginner to go beyond the genus.
Many of the common cultivated crop plants, the bad weeds, and the medicinal plants are indicated by a few words.
The derivation of the generic name is given after the genus description. This often helps to associate the name with some characteristic of the plants.
In the common names there is much confusion and duplication. We have herein given one common name for each species in so far as such are known to us, choosing the one most common or most applicable when there were several.
To illustrate the use of the keys let us take the common large-leaved maple. Beginning on page (7) with the KEY TO FAMILIES, compare A with AA; evidently this maple falls under AA. Compare the next letter (C) under AA with its double (CC); this maple goes to CC, which refers to the KEY TO THE DICOTYLEDONS on page (10). There compare A with AA, to find it goes to A; then the first letter (B) under A with its double (BB), tracing it to B, which refers to Group 3, p. n. There trace through letters in like manner to the family ACERACEAE, page 148. Comparing the plant with the family description, whose chief characteristics are in italics, it is found to agree. Since there is only one genus (ACER) in this family, no key is necessary, and it follows directly. To the right of it is the common name of the group, MAPLE. Comparing the plant with the genus description, short in this case, it is found to agree. Under it compare A with AA, tracing it to A; compare then B, BB, BBB, finding it goes to BB. Then follows W. C. E., which gives its distribution (see abbreviations, p. 5); then follows A. macrophyllum, the scientific name. In this A. is the abbreviation of the genus name, ACER; and macrophyllum is the species name. "Large-leaved Maple" follows, and is the common name of this particular maple.
That the book is free from errors is not a reasonable hope on account of the great amount of detail of fact and arrangement. We would be glad to have our attention called to errors that they may be corrected in future editions.
T. C. FRYE,
GEO. B. RIGG.
Table of Contents
ABBREVIATIONS
ENGLISH AND METRIC SCALES
KEY TO THE FAMILIES
GYMNOSPERMS
ANGIOSPERMS
Monocotyledons
Dicotyledons
GLOSSARY
INDEX
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