POLYANDRIA. 333 



4. Tetragynia. Tetracera ought, by its name, to have 

 constantly four pistils, but the rest of this order are 

 very doubtful. Caryocar^ whose large rugged woody 

 nuts contain the most exquisite kernel ever brought to 

 our tables, and which is the same plant with Gsert- 

 ner's and Schreber's Rhizobolus, as the excellent 

 Willdenow rightly judged, is not certain in number ; 

 and still less the Cimicifuga ; whilst JFahlbomia is 

 probably a Tetracera : see Wiildenow, 



5. Pentagynia contains chiefly Aquilegia the Colum- 

 bine, and Nigella — both strictly allied to genera in 

 the third order. Reaumuria indeed is here well pla- 

 ced. Some Nigellcs have ten styles. 



6. Hexagynia consists of Stratiotes, Engl Bot. t, 379 ; 

 and Brasenia^ a new genus of Schreber's with which 

 I am not acquainted. (136) 



I would recommend an union of the last five orders, 

 for the same reasons that influenced me in the preced- 

 ing class. They now only serve to keep natural gen- 

 era asunder, the species of which not only differ 

 among themselves as to number of pistils, but each 

 species is often variable besides. The genera are so 

 few that no inconvenience could arise on that account. 

 I conceive such reforms, founded in experience not 

 in theory, serve to strengthen the system, by greatly 

 facilitating its application to practice. 



(136) [I presume it is the Hydropeltis of Michaux, the only- 

 species of which is a common North American aquatic ; both 

 ffom the similarity of their characters, and the application of the 

 name in Dr, Mnhlenburf^'s cataloo^ue. Ed.~\ 



