334 TAXONOMY. 



drew a clear and practical distinction between natural and arti- 

 ficial classifications (((;.'>). ainl deferring all endeavors to make 



the former available, except for genera. he devised a practical 

 sulistitute for it. as a key to the genera, vi/. his celebrated 



(\1'2. Sexual System, or arrangement of the genera under arti- 

 ficial classes ami <>nleix, founded upon the stamens and pistils. 

 Although no\v out <>f n>e. this artificial classification has been >o 

 popular and inlliieiit ial. and has left -<> deep an impression upon 

 Hie science and especially upon the language of botany, that it 

 needs ti> lie presented. The primary divisions are the classes, 

 twenty-four in number. 15nt the I' 1th class. Cryptogamia. ccm- 

 si-ts of plants which have not stamens and pistils and conse- 

 quently no proper llowcrs. and is therefore the counterpart of the 

 remaining t \venty-thive classes, to which the corresponding name 

 of rhaneroo-amia or. in shorler funn. I'lia-noo-amia ( 1'ha'no^ainous 

 plants; has since been applied. These twenty-three classes are 

 characterized by certain inodilicatioiis and associations of the 

 slamens. and have substantive names, of (ireek derivation, ex- 

 pre^sive of their character. The first eleven comprise all plants 

 with perfect (/'. r. hermaphrodite) tlowers. and with a definite 

 number of equal and unconnected stamens. They are distin- 

 guished by the absolute number of these organs, and are desig- 

 nated bynames compounded of (ireek numerals and the word 

 <nnlri<i (from <<r//j), which is used metaphorically for stamen, as 

 follows : - 



Class 1. MIIN \MII:I v includes all such plants with one stamen to the flower: 



as in 1 lippnris. 



2. DIAMMJIA, those with twn stamens, as in the Lilac. 



3. Ti:i \\m:i A, with three staini'iis, as in the Valerian and Iris. 



4. Ti. n: \ NMM \, with four stamens, as in the Sraliious. 



5. 1'i.s r VSDIM A. with five stamens, tlie most fivqiu-nt case. 

 li. I Ii.\ \\ DIM \, \\ith six stamens, as in the Lily Family, &c. 

 7. lIia-rAMUMA, with seven stamens, a- in I Iiirseeheslnut. 



s. < i< i \M)|;I v, with eight stamens, as in I-', v en inur Primrose and Fuchsia. 

 !>. I-'.NM. \M>I:I \, with nine stamens, as in the Rhubarb. 



10. l>i.e\\iii:i \. with ten stamens, as in Rhododendron and Kalniia. 



11. DII>I. \\m:i\. \vith twelve stamens, as in Asanim and the Miirno- 



iii-tie: extended also to include those with from thirteen to nine- 

 teen stamens. 



U7."i. The two sticceeiliim' classes include plants with ])erfect 

 flowers having twenty or more unconnected stamen-, which, in 



12. L I\MH:I \. are inserted on the calyx (perigynous), as in the Rose 



Family ; and in 



13. I'm ^ \M.I;I \. <>n the receptacle (hypogynous), as in the Buttercup, 



Anemone. &c. 



