Foreword:

Botany is the branch of science that includes every kind of plant life. In combination with Zoology, the study of all animal life, Botany is an essential part of Biology, the study of all life. Due to some basic differences and the fact that so much has been learned about Biology in the last century, it is convenient to separate Botany from Zoology to facilitate learning. However, the reader should never forget that plants and animals, living together, form a complex and unique unity that is the basis for sustaining all life on this planet. This book emphasizes plant science—the diversity of form, the uniformity of processes, the ecological distribution, and the evolutionary development from simple to complex; but, it also endeavors to present the interaction and interdependence of all living forms.

From the book