The Rev. P. Keith on the Classification of Vegetables, 113 



VIII. Peristamineae. 

 IX. Epihtamineae. 

 Sect. 11. Anovialous. 

 Class X. Diclines. 



1. Angiospermae. 



2. Gymnosperniae. 



Divis. II. Monocotyledons. — Growth endogenous,— cen- 

 tral. Floral envelope a perianth, often in two rows ; 

 sepaloid, petaloid, or glumaceous. 

 Class XI. Monohypogynae. 

 XII. Monoperigynae. 

 XIII. Monoepigynae. 

 Group II. ACOTYLEDONOUS PLANTS. — Cellular, 

 or, if vascular, without spiral tubes? — Cryptogamous. 

 Class XIV. Ductulosae. — Cellular, with interspersed 

 ducts, — seminiferous. 

 XV. Eductulosse.— Wholly cellular; — gem- 

 miferous. 

 Thus the whole of the vegetable kingdom is divided into 

 two grand groups, without any sacrifice of the technical lan- 

 guage of Jussieu. For although his system does not actually 

 exhibit a division into Cotyledonous and Acotyledonous plants, 

 yet it evidently and essentially involves that distinction. 

 Hence the introduction of the former term is only the com- 

 pleting of the contrast which was already implied in the use of 

 the latter. We have thought it right to put the group de- 

 signated by the positive term first, because the student cannot 

 be supposed to know well what is meant by an acotyledonous 

 plant till he has already found out what is meant by a cotyle- 

 donous one ; and although the term acotyledonous is negative 

 in its composition, yet the character which it points out to the 

 learner is positive, namely, that of the want or absence of co- 

 tyledons; so that the division is legitimate in whatever aspect 

 you survey it. But we do not rest content merely with a correct 

 antithesis. We avail ourselves of all the lights, old and new, 

 that have been thrown upon either group. In the former we 

 recognise its vascular, its phaenogamous, its bisexual, and its an- 

 giospermous characters; and in the latter, its cellular, but par- 

 tially vascular and cryptogamous characters. We accept them 

 as auxiliaries illustrative of the respective groups, but we do 

 not discard the old terms of Jussieu merely that we may use 

 them as synonyms to new ones of our own. 



The first grand group Jussieu distributed into two divi- 

 sions, dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous — divisions that 

 are well contrasted and cannot be improved. All that we add 

 Third Series, Vol. 10. No. 59. Feb. 1837. Q 



