CLASS V. 



FIVE STAMINA. 



This Class has seven Orders. 



SCARLET PIMPERNEL is common on sandy 

 and gravelly soils, and blossoms throughout the whole 

 summer; the flower opens only in fine weather, and in- 

 variably closes against rain; hence it is called the shep- 

 herd's weather-glass. Nevertheless, sudden thunder 

 storms sometimes take it by surprise; the previous 

 state of the atmosphere not having been such as to 

 give it due warning. 



It has been observed by Linnaeus that flowers lose 

 their fine sensibility either after the Antherae have per- 

 formed their office, or when deprived of them artifi- 

 cially; and Dr. Smith, who mentions this circum- 

 stance, does not doubt the fact : he further adds, that 

 he has reason to think that during a long continuance 

 of wet the sensibility of the Pimpernel is sometimes 

 exhausted. 



Few flowers possess a greater delicacy of structure 

 than this little plant; the edge of each petal, which, to 

 a common observer, is terminated with a hairy appear- 

 ance, when viewed with close attention, consists of little 

 globular glands, each supported on a footstalk ; making 

 an appearance through a microscope like the balls on 

 an earl's coronet. The filaments that support the an- 



