Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A Survey of Canadian Plants in Relation to Their Environment
It is quite unlikely that a work dealing in a systematic way with all the species of plants found in Canada wi11 be published in the near future. In a country of such enormous dimensions with an extension of Some miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it is, moreover doubtful whether such a work is desirable. A less pretentious publication dealing with a more restricted area, such as Eastern Canada. Or the Prairie Provinces, would probably be more useful to persons residing in those localities. But while a student should first make the acquaintance Of the wild plants of his own township, or county, his knowl edge Should not end there. He should know something Of the relation of plants to the various types of climate found in Canada and how this relation in?uences their geographical distribution; he should, moreover, be taught to consider the Dominion as an entity, not as a nine-fold division. Had it not been for the foresight of Canada's pioneer botanist, Prof. John Macoun, in bringing botanical knowledge to bear on the relation Of Climate to plant-forms, how long might the development of our great Canadian Northwest have been postponed?
A work dealing with systematic botany is apt to prove some-what dry reading. On the other hand, the consideration Of plants viewed as living beings in reference to their various habitats, or the study of the various modifications by means of which plants adjust themselves to their environment is much more likely to arouse the interest of the average student. The identification of many plants may also be facilitated by the use of the vegetation-group arrangement. A person can see at a glance whether a plant is a climbing or aquatic plant or whether it is' provided with spines or has milky juice. As all the Canadian Families or Genera belonging to each vegetation-group are enumerated in the various chapters it is comparatively easy by a process of exclusion to arrive at the name of the genus.
The present outline deals only with the higher, or seed-bearing plants. Out of a total Of 680 genera of seed-plants occurring within the Dominion Of Canada. 487 are mentioned in the present work. The geographical distribution in Canada of most of these genera is indicated, while in the first ten chapters various physiological and morphological features are dealt with.
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