44 THE CLASS MONANDRIA. 



fication of form into another, as to lead to the belief, 

 that such divisions as genera and species, though 

 generally convenient and lucid in arrangement, are 

 often not really in the original plan of nature, which 

 ever delights in slender shadows of distinction, and 

 while uniting, yet contrives to vary, with an infinite 

 diversity, the tribes of her numerous kingdom. 



As instruction in Botany, like all other branches of 

 Natural History, is only attainable by the actual ob- 

 servation of its individual subjects, and the structure 

 of their parts, we shall now proceed, as before, to 

 illustrate the classes by endeavoring to bring before 

 you a few specimens of each ; after which, the 

 whole vegetable kingdom, and its numerous individuals 

 (now known to include more than forty-four thousand 

 species), will be accessible to you at will, though never 

 without labor and patience, particularly where the 

 species of a genus are numerous. This difficulty, 

 however, is often much lessened by the different 

 groups or sections into which such genera are divided 

 from some obvious trait of distinction, common to such 

 partial assemblage of species. 



The class Monandria contains very few plants, and 

 those principally indigenous to tropical climates, most 

 of them forming part of Linnaeus's natural order 

 Scitamine^, so called, in reference to the spicy and 

 aromatic odor and flavor with which they are so 

 remarkably endowed ; such, for example, are the 

 Ginger, Cardamom, Costus, Turmerick, Galangale, 

 and Arrow-root. 



The Canna, however, which, with the Thalia and 

 Arrow-root, are the only plants of this interesting and 

 magnificent family, found native within the limits of 

 the United States, is destitute of the prevailing racy- 

 flavor and odor of this tribe. They all agree in gen- 

 eral aspect, and resemble so many luxuriant reeds 



