36 Introductory View of the Natural System of Plants. 



there are no greater impediments in the road to an acquaint- 

 ance with the natural relations of plants than those which have 

 been already removed; and that, although neither the science of 

 botany, nor any other science, is to be taken by storm, yet the 

 fortress is sure to be reduced by silent and patient approach. 



It only remains to explain briefly the principles upon which 

 the names of the orders, sub-orders, &c., are formed. It is 

 usual, in the school of Jussieu, to give to a natural order a 

 name derived from that of the genus which is understood to be 

 the type of the order, — as i^anunculaceae from i^anunculus, 

 i^osaceae from i?6sa, and so on : but several deviations from 

 this principle were admitted by Jussieu, in favour of cer- 

 tain groups of plants, long known by other popular names 

 derived from certain peculiarities ; such as Labiatae, because 

 their corollas are labiate ; Compositae, because their flowers 

 are what is commonly called compound ; Guttiferae, on account 

 of the resinous juice in which they abound; and some others. 

 It would, perhaps, have been better if uniformity in nomen- 

 clature had not thus been sacrificed to a dread of innovation ; 

 but it is now too late to remedy the evil, if such it is ; nor 

 w^ould the advantage of alteration be at this day equivalent to 

 the inconvenience. For the purpose of making it at once 

 apparent w^hether, in speaking of a group of plants, reference 

 is had to an order or a sub-order, it has of late years been 

 thought convenient to terminate the name of the natural order 

 in acecB^ and that of the sub-order in ece : thus, in speaking 

 of the whole mass of which jRanunculus is the representa- 

 tive, the word jRanuncul^V^'*^ is used ; but in speaking of the 

 particular division or sub-order of which i?anunculus forms a 

 part, the term 72anuncuk<^ is employed. This manner of 

 speaking is, however, at present very partial in its application ; 

 and is of little importance, except in a few cases of which 

 -Kanunculaceae is one of the most striking examples. In those 

 orders, the titles of which, necessarily from their grammatical 

 construction, end in ecB^ as Orchideae, it is obviously inappli- 

 cable, without a total change in a great part of the nomencla- 

 ture of natural orders, a measure which cannot be too much 

 deprecated. 



It may, perhaps, be expected that these remarks should 

 conclude w^ith a recommendation of some work, from which 

 those who are anxious to become fully acquainted with 

 the principles and distinguishing characters of the natural 

 system of botany, may derive the necessary information. Un- 

 fortunately, however, such a work has at present no existence. 

 M. Decandolle's Theorie Klementaire de la Botanique explains 

 the principles upon which the orders of plants are constituted, 

 and M. de Jussieu's Genera Plantarum contains their characters 



