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An Attempt at a New Classification of the CicJioracea, with 

 some Observations on the GeograpJiical Distribution of this 

 Pamily. By Mr David Don, Librarian of the Linnean 

 Society, Member of the Imperial Academy Naturae Curio- 

 sorum, of the Royal Botanical Society of Ratisbon, and of 

 the Wernerian Society of Edinburgh, &c. Communicated 

 by the Author. 



^^HATEVER opinion there may be respecting the other fami- 

 lies into which this extensive class of plants has been divide<l, 

 all writers, from the earliest period down to the present time, 

 have agreed in separating the Cichoracea from the rest of 

 Composite. They are essentially distinguished from the other 

 families by their uniform, ligulate, hermaphrodite florets, ha- 

 ving a definite number of simple parallel vessels traversing their 

 lamina. 



It is curious to remark the distribution of this family over 

 the surface of the globe, and the proportion which it bears to 

 the rest of Composite in the Floras of different countries. 

 These will be best exhibited by the following table. 



By this table it will be seen that the principal seat of Ciclu)- 

 racea is in Europe, and that they decrease very considerably in 

 America — or rather, that the other families of Composite expe- 

 rience a very great increase in the latter continent ; for the total 

 number of Cichoracetey in the North American Flora, equals 

 that of the North of Africa, while in the rest of Composite it 

 has nearly four times the number. In the Flora of Switzerland, 



