CI. 12.] UMBELLIFER^E. 133 



volucrum. Artedi, the early friend of Linnaeus, who 

 devoted himself to the study of the Umbelliferce, sug- 

 gested, or adopted, this plan. But those parts are often 

 variable in the same species. The regularity or irre- 

 gularity of the Petals also, and the perfection or par- 

 tial imperfection of the Stamens or Pistils, often afford 

 good marks. The simple or divided form of the Petals 

 is very material. But the figure, margin, ribs, angles, 

 and surface of the Seeds yield most excellent cha- 

 racters *. The earlier systematic botanists, and more 

 recently Crantz and Cusson, have had this object in 

 view. Hoffmann and Sprengel are now intent upon it. 

 The Prodromus of the latter, published at Halle in 

 1813, does honour to it's author, though his Species 

 Umbelliferarum minus cognittf, published five years 

 later, may serve to show that his ideas of genera are 

 not yet settled. It would be superfluous to give the 

 detail of Jussieu's 4 Sections. Sprengel's are as 

 follows : 



1. Fruit compressed, flat. Hasselquistia, Tordi/lium, 

 Heracleum, Peucedanum, fig. 203, Ferula and Pasti- 

 naca are good examples. Hydrocotyle appears mis- 

 placed here. 



2. Fr. solid, winged at the margin. Drusa, De- 

 Cand. Ann. du Mus. v. 10, Mulinum Persoon, Se- 



* By such characters, and others derived from the Receptacle of the 

 Flower (63), the Calyx, &c, the British UmbelUfera are, I hope, hetter 

 defined than heretofore, in Engl. Fl. v. 2. 



