FORMATION OF SYSTEMS. 385 



or of half florets, or of a, centre of complete florets, surrounded by a 

 circumference or ray of demi-florets. Such are the divisions of the 

 corymbiferce, or compositce. 



In the simple flowers, the seeds are naked, or in & pericarp. Those 

 with naked seeds are arranged according to the number of the seeds, 

 which may be one, two, three, four, or more. If there is only one, no 

 subdivision is requisite : if there are two, Ray makes a subdivision, 

 according as the flower has five petals, or a continuous corolla. Here 

 we come to several natural families. Thus, the flowers with two seeds 

 and five petals are the Umbelliferous plants ; the monopetalous flow- 

 ers with two seeds are the Stellatce. He founds the division of four- 

 seeded flowers on the circumstance of the leaves being opposite, or 

 alternate ; and thus again, we have the natural families of Asperifolice, 

 as Echium, &c., which have the leaves alternate, and the Verticillatce, 

 as Salvia, in which the leaves are opposite. When the flower has 

 more than four seeds, he makes no subdivision. 



So much for simple flowers with naked seeds. In those where the 

 seeds are surrounded by a pericarp, or fruit, this fruit is large, soft, and 

 fleshy, and the plants are pomiferous ; or it is small and juicy, and 

 the fruit is a berry, as a Gooseberry. 



If the fruit is not juicy, but dry, it is multiple or simple. If it be 

 simple, we have the leguminose plants. If it be multiple, the form of 

 the flower is to be attended to. The flower may be monopetalous, or 

 tetrapetalous, or pentapetalous, or with still more divisions. The mo- 

 nopetalous may be regular or irregular ; so may the tetrapetalous. 

 The regular tetrapetalous flowers are, for example, the Cruciferce, as 

 Stock and Cauliflower ; the irregular, are the papilionaceous plants, 

 Peas, Beans, and Vetches ; and thus we again come to natural fami- 

 lies. The remaining plants are divided in the same way, into 

 those with imperfect, and those with perfect, flowers. Those with 

 imperfect flowers are the Grasses, the Rushes (Junci), and the 

 like ; among those with perfect flowers, are the Palmacece, and the 

 Liliaceai. 



We see that the division of plants is complete as a system ; all 

 flowers must belong to one or other of the divisions. Fully to ex- 

 plain the characters and further subdivisions of these families, would 

 be to write a treatise on botany ; but it is easily seen that they 

 exhaust the subject as far as they go. 



Thus Ray constructed his system partly on the fruit and partly on 

 the flower; or more properly, according to the expression of Linnaeus. 

 VOL. II. 25. 



