Introductory P'ieiv of the Natural System of Plants, S J 



other bodies, and not as insulated individuals merely possess- 

 ing certain peculiarities by which they may be referred to 

 some station in an artificial system, ultimately gives to the 

 investigations of the naturalist, are so great, that difficulties of 

 the nature just alluded to ought not to be suffered to influence 

 the botanist in determining which line of study he will follow, 

 whether that pointed out by Linnaeus, or that traced by the 

 hand of nature. By the artificial system of Linnaeus, in- 

 deed, no great difficulty exists in determining the number of 

 stamens or styles possessed by a given plant, or the nature of 

 their combination, and, from the knowledge so obtained, in 

 referring them to their class and order in the Linnean system. 

 But when this step has been gained, what more has been 

 acquired than the bare knowledge that the plant in question 

 possesses a certain number of stamens and styles ? No pos- 

 sible notion can be formed of the relation it bears to other 

 plants of the same nature, of the qualities it probably pos- 

 sesses, of the structure of those parts not under examination, — 

 the fruit, for example : and, finally, if it were wished to convey 

 an idea of the plant to a stranger, no means of doing so 

 would be in the possession of the Linnean botanist, except by 

 stating that the plant belongs to Pentandria Monogynia, for 

 example ; which is stating nothing. But what would be the 

 condition of the student of the natural affinities of plants in a 

 similar case ? It is true he would be obliged to consult more 

 characters than the two uninfluential ones of Linnaeus : it 

 would be necessary to ascertain whether his subject is vascular 

 or cellular; if vascular, whether it is monocotyledonous or 

 dicotyledonous ; if dicotyledonous, whether the leaves are 

 opposite or alternate, stipulate or exstipulate, whether the 

 flowers are monopetalous, polypetalous, or apetalous, the 

 nature and station of the stamens, the condition of the ova- 

 rium, and so on. But when he has ascertained thus much, 

 only let it be remembered for a moment how much he has 

 gained indirectly as well as directly. Perhaps he has dis- 

 covered that his plant belongs to i^ubiaceae ; he will then 

 have learned that all vegetables with opposite entire stipulate 

 leaves, and a monopetalous superior corolla are also rubia- 

 ceous ; if a fragment of the leaves and stem only of such a 

 plant were afterwards submitted to him for examination, he 

 would recognise its affinities, and remember that it was ru- 

 biaceous, and, being aware of that fact, he would be able 

 safely to infer that its calyx and corolla would be of a parti- 

 cular nature ; that if the roots afforded any colour for dyeing 

 it would be red ; that the medicinal properties of the bark, if 

 any, would be tonic, astringent and febrifugal ; and that its 



