Lindley± Johannes, Phil. Dock, Prof. Lond. : Nixus Planta- 

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 niination of most of the plants discovered, and the collection of 

 these into small groups termed genera, and the genera again 

 into groups called orders. The orders, which are about 

 280, have also been distributed into about three classes ; the 

 uniformity of the structure of vegetables not affording more 

 general differences than would supply the characteristics of 

 about this number of classes. In this case the student found 

 himself, although able to determine to which class the plant 

 he might be examining belonged, bewildered among the nu- 

 merous orders comprehended in that class ; and the characters 

 of all which orders he must examine, ere he could be quite 

 certain of the order to which his plant belonged : that is, ori 

 the assumption that, when he commenced the examination, he 

 had not the slightest idea of the approximate relations of hi*> 

 plant. With the systematic arrangements of plants in this 

 state, it is obvious they were incomplete; and although, from 

 the progressive nature of human knowledge, they must ever 

 remain so in the abstract, it is gratifying to witness the con- 

 tribution towards their amendment and completion which 

 the little pamphlet before us supplies. In it the orders are 

 grouped together into clusters or nixuses, according to their 

 agreement in some essential condition of structure; in other 

 words, according to their affinities ; and the author finds that 

 in numerous instances the orders suggest, by their approxi- 

 mations, a circular arrangement, and that in the clusters or 

 nixuses in which the affinity is most strict, the orders are 

 more usually five in number. A group of orders forms what 

 is termed a nixus ; a series of nixuses, usually here again 

 about five, forms a cohors ; a collection of cohorts, in most 

 cases five, forms a subclass ; and a conjunction of the sub- 

 classes constitutes a class. This is the course of the system of 

 synthesis ; the system of analysis, by which the student must 

 test and investigate, is in just the reverse course. Having 

 determined the class, subclass, cohors, and nixus which in- 

 clude his plant, the reference of it to the one of the orders 

 within that nixus to which it belongs will not be difficult; and 

 thence he will proceed in a farther deduction of its identity, 

 until he attain the genus and species, if these be described, 

 to which his plant appertains. 



Dr. Lindley, in the nomenclature of his nixuses (we must 

 use this term), has preserved a convenient uniformity : they all 

 end in ales, as Rutales, Geraniales, Myrtales, Violates. This 

 device distinguishes the name of a nixus at once from that of 



