156 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



ber and importance of the principles now common to them all, 

 and universally admitted. 



Let us begin with the VEGETABLE KINGDOM as a whole. 



507. Sub-kingdoms. It is first divided or separated into 

 two Sub-kingdoms, viz., the Pha3nogamia, or Flowering Plants, 

 and the Cryptogamia, or Flowerless Plants. These divisions 

 were first propounded by John Kay, of England, in 1682. They 

 lie at the foundation of the System of Linna3us as well as that 

 of Jussieu, and have been adopted by every subsequent author. 

 It is a division founded in Nature that is, marked by Nature 

 herself; for, 



The PH^NOGAMIA Opou'vw, to appear, ya- The CRYPTOGAMIA (xpucrrw, to conceal, 

 fxo<r, nuptials) 



a, Consist of a regular axis of growth with 

 leafy appendages ; 



>, They possess a woody and spiro- vascular 

 structure ; 



c, They develop stamens and pistils consti- 

 tuting flowers ; 



fit They produce seeds containing an em- 

 bryo. 



508. The above diagnosis does not mark the absolute limits between the two Sub-king- 

 doms ; for the higher Cryptogams, as the Ferns and Mosses, give indications of approach 

 to the Phcenogams, both in form and structure, while the lower Phsenogams can scarcely 

 be said to produce flowers. And universally, so gradual is the transition from group to 

 group, that it is difficult or impossible to employ characters so definite as to circumscribe 

 completely any one group, while at the same time they exclude every member of the sur- 

 rounding allied groups. 



509. Provinces. The Flowering Plants are next resolved 

 into two great Provinces, indubitably marked by Nature's own 

 hand, and employed in every natural method. The following is 

 their diagnosis. They were also first propounded by John Ray, 

 under the names of Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons. 



a, Are generally destitute of a regular axis 



and of true leaves ; 

 6, They possess mostly only a cellular 



structure ; 



c, They do not develop true flowers ; 

 rf, They produce spores having no embryo. 



EXOGENS (s^w, outside, ysvvaw, to gen- 

 erate or grow) 



a, Growing by layers external to the wood, 

 internal to the bark ; 



ft, Leaves net-veined ; 



c, Flowers very rarely 3-parted ; 



d, Seeds with two or more cotyledons ; 

 , The radicle producing an axial root. 



ENDOGENS (Sv5ov, within, ygvv(X6J, to 

 grow, etc.) 



a, Growing by scattered, internal wood- 

 bundles ; 



5, Leaves parallel-veined ; 



c, Flowers very generally 3-parted ; 



d, Seeds with one cotyledon ; and 



e, The radicle never producing an axial root. 



510. Classes. The Provinces are next broken into Classes, 

 groups of the third rank in extent. Two are constituted of the 

 Exogens, viz. : 



