368 DIOECIA. 



5. Pentandria. Hamulus, t. 427, is almost the only 

 certain instance here. Spinccia, Acnida and Cannabis 

 would be unexceptionable, but they are less absolute- 

 ly dioecious, being sometimes monoecious ; see p. 

 259. The rest of the Order is at best doubtful ; 

 nor can the pretended amentum of the barren-flowered 

 Pistac'ia entitle it to a permanent place in this Class, 

 for its fructification is truly a panicle. Clutia, more 

 properly Cluytia, may possibly remain here. It has 

 no business in the Order Gynandria. 



6. Hexandria. No difference of structure is discernible 

 between the barren and fertile flowers of any genus in 

 this Order ; witness Tamus, t. 91, though something 

 to the contrary is mentioned in the Genera Plantarum 

 of Linnaeus. 



7. Polyandria. Under this Order I would certainly 

 comprehend all dioecious plants that have from 8 to 

 any greater number of stamens, according to the ex- 

 ample set by Linnseus himself in the last Class. The 

 genera are exceedingly variable in this respect ; and 

 if all those the accessory parts of whose flowers are 

 uniform were taken away, ^e remainder would be so 

 few, that it is hard to say whether any would remain 

 at all. Instances of the O'der as it now stands are 

 Populus, ^.1618,1619; Hydrocharis, t. 808 ; Mercu- 

 rialis, t. 559. The fertile flowers of the latter have, in 

 some cases, a nectary or corolla of two slender leaves, 

 not found in the barren ones, which may entide it to 

 a permanent place here. Carica will also probably 

 remain. Rhodiola can scarcely be kept distinct from 



