Linnean System of Plants, 233 



a meal yet finer. As the pollen ripens, it swells the anthers, 

 which at last open, and shed it upon the stigma. It adheres 

 to that part by the glutinous moisture before mentioned, and, 

 by means of the hollow style which connects it with the ger- 

 men, feeds the young fruit until it has attained its full growth. 

 Thus sits the style upon the seeds, like the hen bird upon her 

 eggs ; while the stamen, like a tender mate, supplies her with 

 food. 



The pistil and stamen are the most essential parts of a 

 flower, since, without them, no fruit can be produced. The 

 corolla or the calyx may be wanting, and yet the flower will 

 be termed perfect, because the absence of those parts is no 

 obstacle to reproduction. Even the style and the filament 

 may be absent, without preventing the formation or ripening 

 of the fruit ; and there are many flowers which have the stamen 

 sitting close to the corolla, &c., without a filament, and the 

 stigma to the germen without a style; but the anther, the 

 germen, and the stigma are essential. 



The seed is contained in the pericarp, or seed-vessel, which 

 is the germen (before described as a part of the pistil) when 

 grown to maturity. The name of the seed-vessel varies 

 according to its form, substance, &c. ; but the word pericarp 

 a word of Greek origin, which signifies around the seed, is 

 applicable to all its varieties. 



The receptacle is the base, or medium, which connects the 

 other parts of the fructification. 



Of the varieties of all these parts I shall say more here- 

 after. 



Of the twenty-four classes into which the vegetable king- 

 dom is divided, the first ten rest solely on the number of 

 stamens contained in their flowers ; and proceed without in- 

 terruption, the number of the class corresponding with that of 

 the stamens. They are distinguished by the Greek numbers 

 prefixed to the word andria, which is also of Greek origin, 

 and signifies a husband, the stamen being considered the father 

 of the fruit ; while the pistil, which nourishes it in her 

 bosom, being looked upon as the mother, is expressed by the 

 word gynia, meaning a wife. By the number of 

 the latter, the orders of these classes are distin- 

 guished. Thus, the first class, Monandria, is 

 divided into two orders, Monogynia and Digy- 

 nia; in other words, those flowers which have 

 but one stamen are divided into two sets ; those 

 which have one pistil {Jig. 95. a), and those which 

 have two (b) ; we should rather say styles, for 

 it frequently happens that they are multiplied, while the germ 



Vol, I. — No. 3. R 



